August 19 Webinar: Caring for Employee Caregivers

As the U.S. population ages, the number of employees who must balance work with informal caregiving is also on the rise. This trend could have health and productivity implications for employers given that caregivers experience more stress, physical and emotional strain, which in turn contributes to more absences and work performance impairments. To help employers recognize how caregiving impacts employees’ abilities to contribute on the job—and make informed decisions when considering the value of caregiver benefits—IBI recently released research on caregiving activities, stress, work impacts, and work policies. The main research questions were:

1. How widespread is caregiving in the workforce, and who provides care?
2. How does caregiving affect stress and in turn, work outcomes?
3. How do work policies mitigate the burden of caregiving?

IBI Research Lead Nicole Nicksic, PhD, MPH discussed the health and productivity implications of caregiving and what employers can do to ensure they are supporting this population within their workforce. IBI President Kelly McDevitt moderated an employer panel discussion with representatives from Accenture, Alight Solutions, and Ashcroft Inc. which discussed perspectives, initiatives, and challenges around their caregiving benefits, and how the current pandemic has impacted their strategies.