Taking Care of Family Caregivers’ Good for Business

Jan. 2024
By NTI

If you work in a company’s human resources department, chances are that you are going to have an employee who is also serving as a family caregiver, facing demands on the home front.

While the numbers of how many family caregivers there are varied, the number has been growing in wake of COVID-19.  The CDC reports that one in five Americans are caregivers while an AARP study had the number at one in six Americans are caregivers.

No matter what the actual number is, human resource staffs need to be ready and have solutions in place to help employee-caregivers.

“We know the numbers are growing,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s Chief Operating Officer. “People are making the decision whether to leave their jobs to take care of their families, and that can be a difficult decision financially and career-wise.” NTI helps Americans with disabilities and their family caregivers find remote working opportunities with free training and job placement services. You can register at www.nticentral.org.

One step a company can take is to offer working alternatives, whether it be the opportunity to work at home, which can be a time saver with commuting and scheduling. Remote work also allows employees the option to have the peace of mind to know they aren’t miles away if something happens.

“You have to understand what your employee is going through, and you have to support them,” said Hubbard. “You don’t want to lose good employees and showing them that you know what they are going through is a good step to keeping them.”

Studies show 71 percent of family caregivers worry about their job security. Showing your support to the employees takes major things off their minds.

Employers should make sure their employees know what programs are available to them. Are they eligible for FMLA? Do they access to an Employee Assistance Program that can help find them resources? Do they have the option of flexible hours? Can they reduce their hours? These are all things that should be considered are communicated to the employees.

Supporting your caregiving employees can be a benefit to companies, according to AARP, with recruiting and retention of talent, better workplace loyalty, a boost in productivity, and a significant increase in company share prices. 

“As more people become caregivers, how companies assist them could be a big factor in adding talent to your team and keeping them,” said Hubbard.  “The programs you put in can help you make and save money in the long run.”

NTI helps Americans with disabilities and their caregivers find at-home employment with free training and job placement services. You can register at www.nticentral.org.