Will caregiving become a true priority for employers?

A SPECIAL TREAT: WE’VE GOT A GUEST WRITER JOINING US!

Hybrid, remote, and in-office status are topics of discussion across numerous companies today. Just when we thought it was figured out, it wasn’t.

Caregivers continue to be the topic of conversation in the mainstream through celebs sharing their experiences, or through everyday people amplifying their own experiences.

Employers have this moment to differentiate themselves when it comes to defining what it means to be a caregiver friendly workplace.

I could think of no better time than, National Caregiver’s Month, to introduce our featured guest, Tracy Dunbar. Tracy is the Founder & Lead Consultant at HR Redefined, a full-service talent consulting firm founded to design equitable workplaces - where leaders create an environment that is fair and inclusive for all.

Read on as Tracy takes us behind the scenes of how caregiving policy and benefits come to be. 

GUEST POST BY TRACY DUNBAR: THE EVOLUTION OF EMPLOYEE LEAVE POLICY

In 1975, my mother made the decision to leave her full-time job to provide full-time care to me. The expense for child care and my frequent visits to the doctor for ear infections made working a full-time job impractical and unaffordable. 

While working mothers had made progress since this time, in my role as an HR leader, I had countless conversations with employees who were afraid to ask their managers for “time away” or “flexible schedule” to avoid being seen as a low performer, “needy” or passed over for future opportunities. 

In 2016, I joined a nonprofit organization to serve as its first Chief People Officer and was charged with modernizing its people practices and policies. Upon reading the employee handbook, I was surprised to read the policy for new parents: 8 weeks of maternity leave for a Mom and 2 weeks of paternity leave for Dads. Simultaneously,  New York State was rolling out its new Paid Family Leave program.

Excited by new legislation, my team and I went on a journey to create a more balanced and equitable parental leave policy for our national organization with employees living and working across the United States. 

After several 1:1 conversations with employees and small focus groups, we learned about “family planning”, traditional and non-traditional family structures and the decisions people were faced with before, during and after becoming parents. An overview of our policy changes is here:

We centered new parents (all parents) having access to 3-months of parental leave with flexibility to use the time as needed.

In our work to provide a more inclusive policy for employees, we also revisited our benefits strategy (insurance coverages), the financial implications of multiple people on leave at the same time and budgeting for interim or temp support.   

Our work made a difference in the lives of our staff members and their families. In addition, to “happier” employees who felt valued, the organization also benefited from

Things Have Changed 

Today, a 12-week parental leave is commonplace, partially due to the 13 states (and District of Columbia) who have created and instituted Paid Family Leave Programs.

Many companies have come a long way offering expansive parental leaves.

Paid Family Leave programs extend beyond new parents, and consider the needs of employees who need to care for a sick child, an aging parent, a partner recovering from surgery or a relative with a chronic illness. 

More Work Must Be Done

In Part II of our written series, we will highlight how organizations have started to create unique “Paid Caregiver Policies” when state programs are not available. 

As a talent consultant with policy expertise, I aspire to see a more compassionate workplace AND know that we need to ask tough questions such as:

• How do we continue to elevate the needs of employees while also recognizing the organizational challenges required by leaders to make this shift?

• How do we define “Caregiver?”

• How do we manage gaps in employment and continue to reach our goals as an organization?

I’ll be continuing our discussion in Part II of my post next week.

News for you.

• Organizations that recognize the importance of “leave policies,” are “emerging as employers of choice.”

• Ai-jen Poo, a well known caregiver advocate states, “we don’t really have programs in place to help people afford care.” But here’s what can help.  

• Georgia among other states, continues to advocate for “The Credit for Caring Act,” to help caregivers offset some of the costs of caregiving.

• Learn how NYC plans to support its Department of Aging Caregiver program with $6.2 million dollars.

• Having a hard time keeping your loved one’s important papers organized and accessible? Use this sheet to help.