Here's how to support informal caregivers on your team, hassle-free
You don’t have to solve your employee’s caregiving situation. That’s not even possible. What you can do, however, is ensure that work serves as a source of support rather than an additional burden. For many family caregivers, work is actually an outlet: a chance to do something different, be surrounded by colleagues, and excel at something. You want to preserve that. With these six steps, you can get started as early as tomorrow.
Ask about it
It starts with knowing who is involved. And that’s harder than it seems. According to Rendement, nearly half of managers are unaware that an employee is an informal caregiver. Many people prefer to keep their work and personal lives separate, or don’t even see themselves as informal caregivers. “I’m just helping my mom out a little,” is what you often hear.
So make it easy to bring up the topic. Ask the question during the annual review or a work meeting: Do you care for someone in addition to your job? And make it clear that the answer won’t affect anyone’s opportunities. Just one open-ended question can make a big difference.
Know the rules
The Work and Care Act provides flexibility for informal caregivers. Emergency leave allows someone to immediately take care of essential matters in the event of an unexpected situation. Short-term care leave (70% of salary paid) is available for caring for a sick loved one, and long-term care leave (unpaid) is available for care that lasts longer.
The problem? Employees are often unaware of these policies—and neither are their managers. Make sure your managers know what’s possible and feel confident offering these options. Often, just knowing that these options are available is enough to help an employee.
Join in
A personalized approach often works better than a one-size-fits-all policy. Starting an hour later because you need to arrange care in the morning. Working from home for a day to accommodate a hospital visit. Temporarily working a few hours less during a difficult period. Small adjustments, big difference.
Work together to decide what works—for the employee and for the team. Document it and schedule a time to review it. Caregiving situations change, so what works now might not work in three months.
Watch for signs
Burnout rarely happens all at once. There are warning signs beforehand. A person may be tired more often, less focused, or more short-tempered. They may take more frequent short absences from work. Or, conversely, they may never take time off anymore and seem determined to handle everything on their own.
Do you see this? If so, start a conversation. Not to check up on them, but to ask how they’re really doing. The sooner you address it, the more you can work together to make adjustments.
Get help in time
Don’t wait until someone calls in sick. A preventive consultation with an occupational physician or employability coach helps ensure a healthy work-life balance is maintained early on. Together, they assess what’s needed to stay healthy at work and what the employee can do on their own.
This way, you can prevent someone from waiting until it's too late to speak up. That's better for your employee, and it saves you, as a business owner, a lot of hassle.
Include it in your policy
Effective policies should not depend on a single manager. Informal caregiving is considered a psychosocial workplace stressor, so it should be addressed in your Risk Assessment and Evaluation (RI&E) and your absenteeism policy. Establish how you identify informal caregivers, what support is available, and who they can turn to for help.
That way, everyone knows where they stand. And as an employer, you’re showing that here, you can take care of others without neglecting yourself.
