Many employees juggle work and caregiving, making it crucial for businesses to implement flexible policies and benefits that help their team members thrive both personally and professionally.

From raising young children to caring for aging parents, employees these days often find themselves having to balance professional responsibilities with caregiving at home. To help promote retention and create a better work culture for your team, you need to recognize and support the commitments they may have outside the workplace. Consider these three strategies as a strong starting point.

Poll your workforce

You can’t know what your employees need if you never ask them, so first conduct an anonymous survey to better understand their responsibilities outside of work. These insights will give you a greater sense of their realities and what you can do to promote a healthier work-life balance.

Be flexible

Creating flexibility in your scheduling policies may help caregivers better manage their various duties. For instance, implementing a fluid start time can reduce morning anxiety, enabling them to complete their personal tasks without worry of being tardy. Moreover, as long as it doesn’t affect their work, encourage them to take breaks as needed and give them the freedom to leave early for appointments or emergencies.

Expand your benefits and resources

Just as important, examine your company’s benefits to ensure that they adequately support caregivers. For one, check that your PTO policy is sufficiently generous; it’s invaluable for allowing employees to handle emergencies without the added stress of work commitments. And make sure everyone is wellinformed about the Family and Medical Unpaid Leave Act (FMLA), which allows up to twelve weeks of leave for a covered event, including caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious medical condition.

By recognizing the demands of caregiving, you can do your part to help your employees balance their roles more effectively, which can ultimately benefit both your team members and your business.

TAKE ACTION:
Examine your business’s policies, and determine where you can enhance them to better support any caregivers on your team.