Our Caregiving Support Program for the Workplace taps into your talent to create an in-house solution -- a Caregiving Department -- that supports your employees who care for family member.
The program also pays for itself over time.
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Solutions That Your Employees Who Care Need and Want
A caregiving experience impacts the workplace. More than 40 million persons in the U.S. provide care to a family member. Six in 10 of these individuals also work.
Whether or not your employees talk about it, they are bringing their caregiving experiences to work. Consider:
- According to our research, those who care for a family member rate their stress as 4.14 on a scale of 1 to 5, with being the most stressed.
- Through our research, we learned that 74% of survey respondents say they do not have a back-up or a trained back-up to provide care in their absence if they become ill, have an emergency or want to take a vacation.
- According to research from Boston Consulting Group, employees who feel unsupported during the pandemic are likely to leave your organization once the pandemic is over. BCG also notes that the cost to replace talent is expensive with "hiring and training costing 50% to 75% of the employee’s annual salary and as much as 200% for highly trained individuals."
- The Caring Company Report from Harvard Business School found that more than 80% of employees with caregiving responsibilities admitted that caregiving affected their productivity.
Most important, a caregiving benefit program will help you retain and recruit talent. Our research indicates that more than 62% of working family caregivers worry about whether to quit their job because of their caregiving responsibilities.
In our most recent Working Family Caregiver Survey, respondents shared ideas that could improve the workplace:
- "Network caregivers within the organization and develop tools for resiliency."
- "Support groups and flexible schedule."
- "Openness about caregiving challenges."
- "More awareness, less dismissing of the stress."
- "Offer confidential care giving support groups."
- "Offer resources for caregivers such as consultants."
You'll read more quotes from our survey, below.
A personal caregiving experience impacts the workplace. We can help you manage that impact so that your business can focus on the business.
"I would love a support group. Caregiving can be so isolating and there must be others in the company going through what I'm going through."
Retain and Recruit Talent with the Right Benefit
Our Caregiving Support Program for the Workplace (CSPW) provides the support and solutions to help your employees manage their caregiving stress while your managers focus on the business.
Program specifics include:
- Advance planning for time off so that team members and managers can effectively continue with their projects during an employee's leave.
- A library of planning tools to help employees who care put plans in place to help them ready for what's next.
- Training for managers on how to communicate with employees facing difficult and emotional family situations.
- On-site support groups so employees can connect with others who understand, an effective way to relief stress.
- Wellness Fairs for Those Who Care, resource fairs that bring together local providers and services.
- Programs to help your employees return to work after the death of a family member and the end of a personal caregiving experience.
- Turn-key workshops that provide insightful information on understanding the family caregiver experience, coping with burn-out and managing grief after a caregiving experience ends.
- Ongoing program evaluation to ensure the program meets the needs of your employees.
- A revenue stream so the program pays for itself over time.
"I am up with my mom every night, sometimes as many as four times a night. The quality of my work day depends on how much sleep I did or didn't get the night before."
Your Talent Plus Our Solution = Your Success
We believe your best solution lies in-house: Your own staff.
When we're experiencing personal stress, we want to connect with who and what we know; we want support from people we know delivered in a familiar environment. The CSPW delivers just this kind of comfort because the program uses your in-house talent.
Your employees run the program after receiving our training. You tap two employees to become a Caregiving Support Program Director and Specialist. Employees with personal caregiving experiences are the perfect candidates for these positions.
These employees manage the program, offering the services and becoming the go-to experts for your employees in a caregiving experience. Because of their personal experiences, they understand what it's like. They also are already familiar with community resources and your benefit program which means they can effectively refer employees to solutions which can help. CSPW can be a program managed by these employees on a part-time basis initially and then expanded into a full-time program.
Because your employees run the program, you get experts in your company culture, in the caregiving experience and in the availability of community resources. Most important, employees see and experience your program -- keys to successful utilization. Your employees benefit from on-site support, planning consultations and access to experts which can make appropriate referrals to community resources.
"If caregiving is not going well, I find it very difficult to stop thinking about the situation. I am less productive (then)."
Your Staff Becomes Your Caregiving Experts
During the first three months of the program launch, Denise will schedule weekly check-in calls with your staff for three months. She'll also provide insights and ideas to help a successful program launch. Monthly check-in calls will continue after three months. She'll make an on-site visit every quarter during the program's first year to ensure the program delivers what your employees need. She's also available at any time when the Director and Specialist need guidance and strategies to manage challenging situations.
Director and Specialist Selection
You choose two employees to spearhead the program and become the go-to experts for employees who care for a family member. You have employees who have had a personal caregiving experience who want to make a difference and would welcome a shift in their career to support fellow employees during a caregiving experience. We can help during the selection process. We also can help craft the job descriptions and communication about the new positions.
We believe this program works best when integrated in a department separate from Human Resources. According to our research, employees avoid reaching out to the Human Resources for help and support during a personal caregiving experience. Consider launching the program within the department with a high utilization of the Family Medical Leave Act, which means the department is in need of support. The CSPW then immediately supports the greatest need.
"My spouse's situation makes me worry a lot. Stressful communications affect me and having to divert from work responsibilities to needs at home get frustratiing."
Our Team Behind Your Team
- Certified Caregiving Consultant.
As a consultant, the program director can meet with employees to create a Family Emergency Plan. With this plan in place, employees have back-up plans ready to implement during an expected caregiving crisis like a family member's hospitalization. The consultant receives additional training in delivering our complete menu of Planning Tools, including The Break Plan, which helps employees disconnect from their stress. - Certified Caregiving Educator.
As an educator, the program director can offer in-person and virtual workshops including The Caregiving Years, our proprietary and evidence-based program that delivers comforting insights and empowering perspective shifts for attendees. Additional workshops the director can deliver include Building H.O.P.E., a resiliency training program, The Manager's Toolbox for Managing a Complex Workplace and Beginning Again After Caregiving Ends. - Certified Caregiving Facilitator.
As a facilitator, the program director can lead effective support groups and caregiving conversations.
The Program Specialist receives training to become a:
- Certified Caregiving Specialist.
The specialist can help employees organize a caregiving experience and take on caregiving tasks like scheduling appointments and organized paid help. - Certified Caregiving Facilitator.
As a facilitator, the program director can lead effective support groups and caregiving conversations.
"I have two elderly moms (my own and my MIL), a brother-in-law who is very ill, and my hubby who is disabled with both mental and physical conditions. It depends on who needs help and how critical it is as to how my work performance is affected on any given day."
"She receives IVIG infusion therapy that sometimes begins before I get home."
A Revenue Stream That Pays for the Program
- Twice-a-year consult with the Program Director to complete a Family Emergency Plan, which helps the working family caregiver put a plan in place to manage a potential crisis, such as a family member's hospitalization.
- Monthly small group discussions with the Program Director and Specialist. During the small group discussions, family caregivers will connect to support, resources and insights to help them cope and manage the responsibilities and priorities of working and caregiving.
- Our Caregiving Comfort and Courage PDF Pack which includes The Caregiving Years, Your Guide to Navigating the Six Caregiving Stages, the roadmap to a caregiving experience.
- 20% discount on additional services, either provided by the Program Director and Specialist or our network of Certified Caregiving Consultants and Specialists.
The Caregiving Support Benefit will launch during month three. We can help develop your communication strategy so the program launches successfully.
"I used my personal sick and vacation hours (to manage caregiving responsibilities). It was hard to juggle."
A Program Tailored to You
- The Family Emergency Plan
- The Care Plan
- The Break Plan
- The Communication Plan
- The End-of-Life Plan
- The WELL Plan
- The Transition Plan
- The Celebration Plan
- The Peace of Mind Plan
- The Rest of Life Plan
- The Career During Caregiving Plan
We co-brand our planning tools with your corporate logo and benefit information.
We also can train your Program Director and Specialist on how to deliver engaging webinars and produce compelling podcasts.
Your Program Director and Specialist also can offer general support groups for anyone in a caregiving situation and groups specific to certain situations, like caring for a family member with dementia or caring for a spouse.
"I work harder to make sure I am not dropping the ball at work."
Your Customers Care, Too
Regardless of your industry, your customers care, too. A caregiving experience touches all of us, regardless of our age or gender or job title.
Your Program Consultant and Specialist can help your team develop effective communication strategies to use with customers who may be struggling with their own caregiving stress.
The CSPW separates you in the marketplace because of your innovative support for both your employees and your customers.
"I am always worried because I know the most about his condition and how to help him."
A Program Timeline
We'll help you add the CSPW as effectively as possible. Here's our the program launch could look:
Months One and Two
- Director and Specialist complete our extensive training.
- Program specifics developed based on the needs of your employees and your business.
- Program communication plan created.
Month Three
- Caregiving Support Benefit roll-out begins.
- Weekly check-in calls with Denise continue.
Month Four
- Support groups begin.
- Workshops scheduled.
- The first Wellness Fair for Those Who Care scheduled.
- Family Emergency Planning with employees begins.
- Monthly check-in calls with Denise.
Month Four Through Twelve
- Regular support groups offered.
- Family Emergency Planning with employees continues.
- The first Wellness Fair for Those Who Care held.
- Ongoing workshops delivered, including The Manager's Toolbox for Managing a Complex
- Workplace and H.O.P.E, an eight-week resilience training program.
- Monthly check-in calls onsite visits from Denise.
"I am stressed and distracted in the midst of a caregiving challenging day. Those are becoming more frequent, sadly."
Experience Our Work
Want to test drive our work before enrolling?
Take our Master Classes: The Caregiving Experience and The Caregiving Fatigues. Click below to learn more and to enroll in our upcoming classes.
The Six Caregiving Stages
At the end of the workshop, you'll have the insights to better understand your clients, customers and employees who care for a family member or friend (family caregivers). You'll also appreciate your own personal caregiving experience.
The Caregiving Fatigues
At the end of the workshop, you'll identify which fatigues family caregivers may be experiencing and learn how you can help them feel better. You'll also better understand what causes your burn-out.
"Crisis times (like hospitalizations and recovery) are the worst. Every day care is usually easy to manage."
Enroll to Start Solving Your Caregiving Crisis
The program pays for your initial program investment with a monthly enrollment of 200 employees for 10 months. You could offer the first month free for employees to try the program before committing.
You could apply future program revenue to a respite fund to help employees pay for care when they need a break. You also could apply revenue to cover staffing costs.
You also could offer this program at no charge to employees.
Please contact Denise for more information and to talk out how the program can best help your employees. You can reach Denise at 773-343-6341 or via email (denise@careyearsacademy.com).
(Note: This program is recommended for employers with 2,000 or more employees. If your company employs less than 2,000, consider offer our Caregiving Support Benefit, a voluntary benefit that connects your employees to support and resources.)
