📓 Caring for caregivers

Hi friends! Liz here. 👋🏾 I hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday & happy December! I took an extended PTO because it’s almost the end of year and that’s what we do to gear up for what will be a busy Q1.

Today’s topic hits close to home and it’s something I’ve touched on lightly in previous newsletters. But I want to do a deeper dive into adult caregivers and the ways we can best support them.

Also, by popular request, the monthly guides to building culture that works are here! Starting today, you can access December 2023 - October 2024 so you can get a head start on all of your People planning for the new year. 

If you’d still like to access the full guide, it will always be available to newsletter subscribers for a discount when you use the code NEWSLETTER at checkout. 💌

Finally, just a moment of gratitude for everyone who supported the e-book launch. I love discovering & sharing resources + ideas to make the employee experience better – but mostly to make your lives easier!

So, with that, let’s get into today’s topic.

DO IT FOR THE CULTURE:

Here’s a statistic to sit with: in the U.S., nearly 30 million employees are juggling their caregiver responsibilities while working full-time jobs. The toll this takes on workers can be mental, physical and financial. However, this stress also extends to employers who might not realize that if an employee doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle it all, a loss of productivity will directly affect a company’s bottom line.

So how do you navigate building a culture where you care for your caregivers?

While a hybrid policy is helpful, a flexibility policy is different — whereby you’re giving caregivers the freedom to adjust their work hours to better accommodate their responsibilities. Depending on the complexity of the situation you might even consider job-sharing where the duties of a caregiver are spread out amongst other teammates.

Here is everything you need to know about the job-sharing model.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles certain workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year without losing their job security or health benefits to care for a parent, spouse or child who has a serious health condition. While this isn’t a realistic option for everyone (because it’s unpaid) it’s still worth noting. There are rules around eligibiilty which you can find via the U.S. Dept of Labor. But this this is also a great time for employers to explore Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA). Much like a flexible savings account, these funds are not subject to payroll taxes giving caretakers access to more of their money for medical needs.

FYI: California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington & D.C. all have laws that provide paid time off for caregivers through tax-funded leave insurance programs. Oregon & Colorado are up next in adapting this program.

Depending on the health provider you work with, they'll typically have resources specific to caregivers (ex: counseling or stress reducing tips) under an employee assistance program (EAP). Additionally consider making the recognition of caregivers part of your DEI strategy for 2024. Diversity in race and religion isn’t the only thing employees can connect on. Just as parents share knowledge, create opportunities for adult caregivers to share tips and/or simply receive support from their colleaguees via your employee resource groups (ERG).

On a more personal note, I experienced first hand early last month how a sick parent can suddenly turn your entire world around. Having a destination for all information re: adult caregiving sets you apart from an employer that reacts vs one that prepares. Below are some resources I’ve found helpful that you can add to your Caring for Adult Caregivers library:

Lotsa Helping Hands

CareZone

US Aging

AARP - Find A Home Health Aide

AARP - Adult Day Care

AARP - Facebook Family Caregivers Discussion Group (17k members)

And if you’re also an adult caregiver, know I see you. It isn’t easy work, but you’re not alone in the journey.

My best tip: be sure to fill your cup every day first.

Caregiver articles I love from NerdWallet:

NerdWallet is one of the many free resources you’ll find in our Building Culture That Works guide!

By now I think you know I love sharing resources. But I also love hyping up friends who are doing great work in the People space. Kelsey Ley is a coach & people ops leadership faciliator. Her and I became fast friends via LinkedIn and last month she hosted her annual gratitude challenge.

If you’re looking for a really easy way to get folks into the holiday spirit and your budget is completely done for 2023, consider this for a prep to All Hands or even a stand alone team event.

Resource: December Culture Calendar

Until next time, stay modern.

-Your fellow admin