The world of employee benefits is vast and can sometimes feel overwhelming. A plethora of point solutions claim to have maximum impact, but it’s hard to budget for and keep track of all these different benefits.
You’re likely hoping to distill your benefit offerings down to those that can create the most impact for your employees, and therefore, your organization. When it comes to caregiving support, this is no different. Well, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to learn about all types of caregiving support options for your team.
What types of caregiving solutions are out there?
There are many solutions in the market that can help to support family caregivers. Here are some of the most popular options:
- Childcare at on-site facilities: For companies that require most of their workforce to be in-person, providing safe, high-quality childcare right on site can be a super convenient and helpful option for working parents.
- Childcare stipends for off-site facilities: With the rise of remote work, we’ve all became acutely aware of how stressful life can be for parents without reliable childcare. Employers can help alleviate this stress and allow their employees to better focus by offering a stipend for childcare outside of the home.
- Subsidized back-up home care: Sometimes, childcare facilities must close unexpectedly. Backup caregivers, such as a nanny or babysitter, can come to the employee’s home to provide much needed care. Back-up home care can also be important for those who care for an aging loved one, not just kids!
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): EAPs provide a breadth of information to your team. From mental health resources to legal support, and even some caregiving information, EAPs can be a one-stop shop whenever questions or needs arise. However, because EAPs “do it all,” they may not be able to help as much with acute, complicated, or unique caregiving challenges.
- Mental health benefits: Caregiving can take a serious toll on your employees’ mental health. Thus, it’s key to ensure that low-cost, easy-to-access mental health care coverage is available. Additionally, offering access to mental health support through virtual visits or all-in-one mobile apps can remove the barriers caregivers face in accessing mental health care.
- Wellness stipends: We all could use a little more self-care in our lives. This is especially true for caregivers, who are often stretched thin and stressed out. Many organizations now offer monthly or yearly wellness stipends that employees can use to download a meditation app, purchase a gym or studio membership, book a massage, buy a fitness tracker or home exercise equipment, and much more.
- Free or low-cost legal and financial counseling: When it comes to drafting a Power of Attorney document, for example, the expertise of a legal professional is in order. By providing your team access to legal or financial counseling, you can ensure they feel confident in the important decisions they’re making as they care for their loved one.
- 1:1 coaching to navigate caregiving challenges and create a care plan: The world of caregiving is vast and confusing. As an employer, you can provide expert coaching and concierge services to your team through a caregiving support benefit. This type of comprehensive support has been proven to help your employees regain a sense of balance when it comes to juggling career, family, caregiving, and self-care. They don’t have to navigate this journey alone!
- Digital tools/apps to access caregiving resources: At the tip of your employees’ fingertips, they can access shared calendars to help manage care tasks as a family, schedule appointments, and connect with other caregivers going through similar challenges. Sometimes, these digital tools are paired with 1:1 coaching to meet caregivers’ needs, 24/7, 365.
Here are some other types of caregiving support (that aren’t employee benefits!):
- Gauge interest in a caregiving-focused employee resource group (ESG): Providing a safe space for employees to connect, share resources and support one another can go a long way in reducing feelings of stress and isolation.
- Create a culture of care: From the C-suite to the everyday employee, establishing a culture of care is imperative. Training managers to identify and support family caregivers can be key, as it’s often front-line managers who are working through day-to-day caregiving challenges with their direct reports.
- Ensure workplace policies support the unique needs of all family caregivers: Time-off policies for new parents have quickly become the norm. However, creating policies that support the need for other types of caregivers, such as those who care for an adult sibling with special needs or an aging parent, can help bolster equity and inclusion efforts.
Employers have a lot of options when it comes to supporting caregivers – we know it’s overwhelming! However, it’s important to deeply analyze which option (or options!) makes the most sense for your organization. To learn more about Homethrive’s family caregiving solution, which combines 1:1 coaching and navigation with a digital platform, please visit our website.