How to help “sandwiched” employees raise their productivity and lower their healthcare use

Article Sponsored By Executive Partner: Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC

Employees who provide care to children or adults are literally “sandwiched” between job, family, and caregiving responsibilities. And most of them provide at least 20 hours of care each week. That’s equal to an unpaid part-time job, according to AARP. AARP research also shows that of the nearly 63 million family caregivers in the US, 61% are working while juggling caregiving responsibilities, including assistance with daily living activities, medical or nursing tasks, coordinating services and support, transportation, shopping, and serving as an advocate. 67% of those caregivers with jobs report having trouble balancing work, home life, and caregiving. These problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 59% of caregivers reported that external assistance decreased during that period.

Productivity goes down for a variety of reasons
The direct cost of caregiving on businesses is nearly $44 billion due to lack of productivity from employees not showing up for work, not being able to focus when they’re working, or being absent because of illness. Absenteeism Caregiving employees miss work because they have no other way to ensure those they care for can attend doctor’s appointments, treatments, legal meetings, grocery shopping, and a wide range of other essential responsibilities. Caregivers are often doing these things by themselves and don’t have the financial resources to hire outside help. Presenteeism due to stress and anxiety Employees might be physically present when they’re at work, but their focus is often far away— trying to arrange the right living arrangement for their parents, finding available doctor appointments for parents or children, and more. Even if they have days where they don’t have caregiving responsibilities, they’re anxious about the health of their parent or child and stressed by the additional burdens they’re carrying. Loneliness and isolation Being “sandwiched” can make a caregiver feel as though they’re having to do everything by themselves. If they’re a single parent, they are indeed doing everything alone: caring for their family, caring for the household, caring for themselves, and caring for a sick or special needs child or aging parent. And they’re doing all of that while trying to do a good job at work. According to AARP, nearly 1 in 4 caregivers report feeling socially isolated and that number is growing.

Lack of affordable childcare or help for an aging parent causes issues at work
Not having access to childcare or assistance with an aging parent inevitably leads to lateness, leaving early from work, having to work late, missing important meetings, or not being at work at all. In addition, not having reliable transportation can also cause employees to be late or miss work. Healthcare use goes up Caregivers often experience increased healthcare costs, with employers incurring 8% more in healthcare expenses for employees who are caregivers. That amounts to an estimated $13.4 billion per year, according to the Caregiver Action Network. The stress of juggling caregiving with other responsibilities contributes to increased healthcare needs and costs. Caregivers experience more physical and mental health strain that can lead to chronic conditions, such as obesity, asthma, COPD, arthritis, and higher rates of depression and anxiety. That can often lead to the employee being absent from work, sometimes for extended periods or not being able to focus on the work at hand. All facets of caregiver health—physical, mental, and financial—are affected Out-of-pocket costs are an enormous problem for caregivers. They spend an average of 26% of their income on caregiving, according to AARP. This includes household expenses, medical needs, personal care products, educating themselves on providing care, travel costs, legal fees, and the cost of paid help. 41% of caregivers report low overall well-being. That’s 32% more than non-caregivers. Only 23% of caregivers report having “good” mental health with 40% saying that their caregiving responsibilities increased their stress levels. 71% of caregivers are struggling financially. Of those, 63% live paycheck to paycheck. A greater proportion of caregivers assisting adults are currently providing care to multiple people with 24% caring for two or more recipients. Women and minorities are more heavily impacted by caregiving. In fact, Black parents are twice as likely as Caucasian parents to leave jobs, change jobs, or not take one at all to care for someone. For many caregivers, especially women and minorities, remote work is not an option. Their jobs don’t offer flexibility or remote working arrangements. There is help for caregivers Help can arrive in many forms but it can be too costly or the resources may not deliver the kind of help the caregiver needs. Here are a few examples: • Onsite childcare • Backup care • Navigation services • Virtual tutoring • In-home care • EAPs • Medical care • Managing subsidies • Concierge services • Supplemental services • Paid family leave How employers can help caregivers Start by taking anonymous surveys to gauge the level of the problem in all of your locations. Caregivers often don’t want to “raise their hands” and acknowledged that they have—or have become—a problem. Carefully evaluate all possible assistance, including the ones listed above. Once you have resources or solutions available, make sure you communicate that clearly to all employees as well as clarifying policies that have to do with PTO, healthcare, mental health, and all resources offered by the employer.

Scott James
Vice President – Public Entities & Academic Institutions
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Scott.James@MarshMMA.com | MarshMMA.com