One in five US employees serves as an unpaid caregiver

If you or someone you know juggles unpaid caregiving duties for a family member who is elderly, sick or disabled, it may come as a surprise to learn that one in five of all US employees finds themselves in the same boat. 

A white paper, Invisible Overtime: What employers need to know about caregivers, from The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers gives insight into the challenges faced by those who try to balance work with their caregiving responsibilities.

Over the course of the pandemic, caregivers have grown in number, their isolation has intensified, and their physical and mental health has suffered.

Unpaid work

The RCIC’s research shows that caregiver employees provide an average of 20 unpaid caregiving hours per week, which goes a long way towards explaining why nearly one-third of caregiver employees have voluntarily left a job because of their caregiving responsibilities. 

Reasons for leaving include difficulties in finding affordable or high-quality paid help, and in meeting work demands due to caregiving duties.

No matter how much an individual wants to perform that caring role and does so willingly, the consequences for the individual who gives up a job they enjoy in order to be able to care for a loved one are serious both in terms of both loss of income and sense of purpose.

So much of our sense of self-worth is tied up in being paid for the work we do that giving up paid employment can have consequences for our mental health and wellbeing.

Given the current labor shortage, losing valued employees to their caring responsibilities is a problem for employers too. Caregivers can be coworkers, managers, corporate executives, business owners, clients and customers. They are present in all industries and all geographic areas.

The research underpinning the white paper found caregiver employees missed an average of 3.2 workdays in the prior month, an estimated average productivity loss of $1,123 per caregiver employee. 

Workplace discrimination

And workplace discrimination claims involving caregivers are increasing. The volume of family responsibility discrimination (FRD) litigation has increased dramatically in the past 10 years compared to the prior decade, and caregiver discrimination was the second most common category of claim.

Increasingly, smart employers seeking to retain and attract talent are thinking about how they can support these workers so that they can maintain their skills, contribution and value in the workplace and, crucially, keep doing their jobs while fulfilling their caring duties.

Jobs that do not require the employee to be present in a particular location for set hours are most suitable for caregivers, and the increase in hybrid and remote working that came about as a result of the pandemic is one of the most obvious ways in which caregiver employees can be facilitated. So too are part-time and flexible hours. 

The National Parks Conservation Association is seeking a Director of Government Affairs – Cultural Resources to work in a hybrid capacity in Washington. You will enable NPCA to broaden its advocacy efforts, including collaborating with partners and improving cultural resource preservation within the National Park System.

Additionally you will lobby congress for more agency funding for cultural resource programs and staffing as well as work with agency officials, historic preservation groups, and many other diverse partners to protect parks from resource damage and deficiencies in preservation.

You will also manage the daily operations of priority campaigns and initiatives undertaken by the staff-led Cultural Resources team, and lead the implementation of strategies and tactics that will achieve the successful resolution of NPCA’s advocacy initiatives.

Trust matters

Employers who trust their employees to get the work done rather than micromanaging their output are the ones that reap the rewards when it comes to a diligent workforce. 

Trust is a crucial part of an employer’s corporate culture, and often goes hand in hand with forward-thinking policies tackling the issues faced by those who work off-site at least some of the time.

These address the challenges that arise around engagement, training, ongoing education and career progression, and recognize the need to foster a sense of involvement as part of a team working towards a common purpose. 

Paid leave policies are important too, and Zoom offers 10 paid holidays per year plys a Paid-Time-Off plan. A number of useful benefits for those with additional family responsibilities are also avaialable. All full-time employees and dependents (including domestic partners) are eligible for benefits starting on the first of the month following a workers’ first day of employment, and thre copmpan offers access to a Family Forming network, with financial assistance for services.

Given that the number of family caregivers is likely to continue to grow, it’s the employers who ensure the workplace of the future is welcoming to these employees who will win out in the competition for talent.

To browse active openings by top recruiters in your chosen field, visit The Hill Jobs Board today