Senior Care Archives

Supporting Your Sandwich Generation Employees Is Smart Business

Statistically speaking, nearly one-quarter of your employees who care for a child, parent or friend are actually Sandwich Generation caregivers, meaning they’re caring for children and aging loved ones simultaneously. Their numbers are expected to grow substantially as the population ages and seniors live longer.

This surge in Sandwich Generation employees could cost you dearly in several crucial ways. The good news is … It doesn’t have to.

The Heavy Toll of Caregiving
The organizational and personal costs of caregiving are substantial and well documented. (Many are outlined here.)

As for sandwiched caregivers in particular, a whopping 83% of them report they’re struggling to balance caregiving, work and other responsibilities. These employees are far more likely to miss work and be less productive due to the constant pressures of caregiving. They also tend to be more stressed and spend less time caring for themselves, which results in their own costly health issues. Additionally, a recent survey conducted by Harvard Business School revealed that 32% of U.S. employees voluntarily left a job due to caregiving responsibilities.

Rather than waiting for those statistics to worsen, savvy employers are implementing a variety of programs to support their caregiving employees.

3 Foundational Pillars of Sandwich Generation Support
Two of the most written-about benefits that support family caregivers are flexible work arrangements and paid time off. However, these solutions require significant up-front analysis and a substantial investment. Whether or not you choose to implement them, your strategy for supporting caregivers should rest upon these three indispensable pillars:

Support for Working Parents —Nearly half of all working parents miss an average of four days of work at least once every six months. You can reduce this absenteeism (and other negative impacts such as diminished performance and productivity levels). Implement a comprehensive support program to help parents navigate and source solutions ranging from infancy through transitioning to college. It will give employees 24/7 telephonic and online access to bachelor- and master-level child care specialists, confirmed referrals to trustworthy providers, and a wealth of interactive educational content, webinars and other tools.
Support for Employees Providing Care to a Senior — Employees who serve as caregiver for elder parents or family members often are faced with complex, confusing and time consuming challenges. A high-quality senior care management program provides a spectrum of invaluable services including in-person assessments; detailed care recommendations; 24/7 telephonic and online access to experienced senior care specialists; and a host of educational resources to help your employees become better family caregivers.
Solutions for Employees When Care Plans Are Disrupted —A great backup care program benefits your employees by giving them access to reliable care alternatives when their regular arrangements break down; it also helps your company slash absenteeism/presenteeism, productivity losses, stress and the poor health issues that frequently afflict family caregivers. A state-of-the-art backup care program offers some very specific advantages: it’s available to your employees around the clock; it gives employees access to live, highly trained care representatives, not just an online database of caregivers; it’s flexible, allowing employees to use (and pay) privately secured care including trusted family members and friends as backup caregivers; and it provides invaluable educational resources regarding the care of children, older loved ones, pets, and employees themselves.

Helping employees better manage their competing caregiving and work-related priorities is more than the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do.

If you’d like to learn more about caregiving-related benefits to support your sandwich generation employees or other programs designed to help your employees better integrate their work and personal responsibilities, contact us here or call us at (866) 675-3751.

Why You’ll Lose Talent Without Caregiving Benefits

If you don’t have strong caregiving support programs in place, plan to lose valuable talent to employers who do. And it won’t just be the rank and file who jump ship. You’ll lose upper-level managers and even C-suite executives.

This warning to U.S. businesses is a key theme of Harvard Business School’s (HBS) report, “The Caring Company,” which we wrote about previously here and here.

“When it’s too hard to provide care and work at the same time, people end up leaving the workforce,” the report stated. In fact, nearly one-third of employees surveyed by HBS voluntarily left a job due to caregiving responsibilities. Notably, upper-level managers, senior leaders and highly paid men were most likely to report that their jobs and productivity are affected by caregiving.

“But the flip side is a very real incentive,” noted the report. “If you, as an employer, provide benefits that allow people to live full lives and take care of their families … your talent pool opens up tremendously, because there are millions of people who want to work, while providing for their families at the same time.”

The upshot is clear: caregiving benefits significantly impact talent acquisition and retention, and companies that offer these benefits have a distinct advantage in the escalating war for talent.

4 Programs Employees Absolutely Love
Since the 1980s, LifeCare has championed caregiving solutions as powerful talent acquisition and retention boosters. The HBS report emphatically affirms our position and the growing importance of caregiving solutions to the future of U.S. businesses.

Based on more than three decades of experience, we’ve found there are four caregiving-related programs you should strongly consider implementing—programs that our clients’ employees have consistently rated as most helpful to them. These programs are:

Backup Care—This industry-leading program helps employees find and pay for reliable temporary care when their normal care arrangements fall through, so they can get to work. LifeCare’s program is particularly known for its quality and flexibility: it covers children, elder loved ones, pets and self care; it gives employees access to a fully vetted national network of caregivers as well as a robust selection of out-of-network options; with the ability to schedule care either via phone or online, 24/7. In 2018, 87% of our clients’ employees who used Backup Care Connection said the program reduced their stress levels, 85% said it increased their productivity and 87% said it made them more loyal to their employer. On average, the program saved each user more than 16 hours per use.
Elder Care Referrals & Counseling—Employees have 24/7 online and telephonic access to highly trained and credentialed elder care specialists, as well as confirmed referrals to elder care providers nationwide and an array of educational materials, interactive content, webinars and specialized tools such as our Adult Caregivers Kit. In 2018, 69% of individuals who used Elder Care referrals and counseling services said they increased their productivity, 82% said they made them more loyal, and 99% said they’d recommend the program to their coworkers. On average, the program saved each user roughly 14 hours per use.
Senior Caregiver Support Program—LifeCare’s comprehensive program provides each employee with a full in-person needs assessment of their aging loved one’s home and condition by a Senior Care Manager, followed by a detailed care recommendation plan based on the evaluation, and 24/7 support from senior care specialists. Our client organizations report a number of benefits including reduced absenteeism, improved physical and mental health of their employees and less turnover due to burnout. Last year, 78% of those who used our Senior Care Management Program said it reduced their stress levels, 73% said it increased their productivity and 85% said it made them more loyal to their employer. On average, the program saved users about 13 hours per use.
Mothers at Work Program—This award-winning program supports mothers so they can successfully transition back to work while breastfeeding. It provides the option for a breast milk shipping service, so working mothers who travel can safely ship their milk home, along with 24/7 access to lactation consultants who offer guidance on breastfeeding challenges and concerns. The program also provides mothers with prescreened referrals to local lactation resources, discounted breast pumps and a unique kit filled with free breastfeeding products and information. In 2018, 93% of those who used our Mothers at Work Program said it reduced their stress levels, 56% said it increased their productivity and 77% said it raised their loyalty level. On average, the program saved users about 5 hours per use.

Employees of all ages and at all levels need your assistance in meeting their mounting caregiving demands. Helping your organization’s caregivers is not only critical to their wellbeing and success, but to your organization’s as well.

If you’d like to learn more about implementing caregiver support benefits or other results-oriented work-life programs, contact us here or call us at 866-675-3751.

Quantifying the ROI of Backup Care

Want to give your company an edge in attracting and hiring talent? Implement a backup care program.

That’s the scoop from a recent Motley Fool article, which cites backup care as one of five less-commonplace benefits that are truly valued by prospective hires. “Child care is not only an expensive prospect for workers, but also an unpredictable one,” the article states. “All it takes is for a nanny to call in sick, and any employee could suddenly be left in the lurch. Similarly, parents who use public school as child care are often thwarted by random half-days or days off. That’s why offering backup child care is a great benefit to entice workers with kids.”

In addition to enticing talent, you can expect to reap an array of hard and soft returns from a backup care program—and they can really add up.

The Hard ROI of Backup Care
The hard ROI of backup care (also known as direct benefits) are results you can attribute directly to implementing the program. Hard ROI is easier to quantify than soft ROI, and it’s often measured by surveying program users. Hard ROI includes:

Reduced absenteeism/presenteeism—Almost half of all working parents miss an average of four days of work at least once every six months due to child care breakdowns, and workers who care for aging loved ones miss more than 126 million workdays per year. A high-quality backup care program reduces these caregiving-related absences, as well as the presenteeism created by caregivers who show up but spend part of their workday dealing with caregiving breakdowns and emergencies.
Decreased stress—Roughly 90% of caregivers cite stress as having the most impact on their lives, so reducing their stress should be a priority. With access to a backup care program, employees know their loved ones are well cared for even when their regular arrangements fall through, which gives them peace of mind and reduces stress.
Increased productivity—On average, LifeCare’s Backup Care Connection program saved users 20 hours each in 2018. In essence, we’ve given them back half a work week—hours they would have lost to handling caregiving emergencies or providing care themselves. Backup Care Connection users tell us in surveys and quality checks that the program makes them more productive.
Stronger talent retention—Offering backup care not only attracts talent but also keeps valued talent in your workforce. As the Motley Fool article pointed out, backup care is currently a “less common” benefit but that won’t last for long as more and more employers add it to their benefits offerings. In the meantime, you can take advantage of this situation, improve the strength of your employment brand, and get a leg up on your competitors.
Improved morale and loyalty—Having access to backup care makes employees feel valued, not just for the work they do but as people. Employers who offer backup care are acknowledging that employees have important responsibilities outside of the workplace. That’s a strong foundation for building morale and loyalty—but doing so requires a high-quality program. Inferior programs can actually undermine morale and loyalty. When shopping for a backup care program, be sure you know how each program is rated by actual users. LifeCare’s Backup Care Connection, for example, has a 97% satisfaction rating.

Here are two additional indicators that a backup care program will deliver hard results for your organization: according to recent LifeCare surveys, 81% of individuals who used LifeCare’s Backup Care Connection in 2018 used the program multiple times … and 99% said they’ll use it again.

The Soft ROI of Backup Care
Soft ROI (also referred to as indirect benefits) is less easy to quantify but it’s no less significant. The soft ROI of backup care includes:

Improved health—61% of primary elder caregivers say their own health takes a backseat to that of their loved one, and 21% say their health has declined since becoming a caregiver, according to Transamerica Institute’s 2017 Study of Caregivers. Left unchecked, these issues can result in hefty costs to employers and employees alike. Backup care is invaluable in combating and even preventing the stress and other ill effects of caregiving, which can equate to substantial savings in healthcare costs.
Improved engagement—60% of employees who serve as family caregivers have reported that caregiving negatively impacts their engagement at work in at least one way (and often more than one way), says AARP’s most recent comprehensive Caregiving in America report. These negative impacts include forcing them to cut back on their working hours, taking a leave of absence, and receiving warnings about their performance or attendance. A backup care program keeps employees engaged in their work and makes negative on-the-job impacts less likely to arise in the first place.

Choosing the Right Program
As with all voluntary and work-life benefits, you want the maximum return on your backup care investment. That means selecting a program with four very specific attributes:

Flexibility and Comprehensiveness—The ideal program should encompass all forms of backup care (child care, senior care, pet care and even self care). Employees should be able to reach live care representatives 24/7/365, have access to a presecreened national network of caregivers and a variety of online resources. Another important feature is allowing employees to use caregivers or babysitters they are already familiar with, even trusted family members and friends to provide backup care. Bottom line, flexibility and comprehensiveness are key to keeping utilization high, which in turn maximizes ROI.
Care Options for Everyone—Again, in order to deliver the highest returns, your program should encompass backup care resources for children, older loved ones, pets and even employees themselves. Many programs focus only on one or two of these groups.
Ease of Use—Employees should have multiple access points into the program such as a toll-free telephone number to speak directly with highly trained caregiving specialists, online access to these specialists (including mobile access and/or an app), and online/offline access to other caregiving resources including helpful videos, podcasts, guides and other resources. Additionally, employees should be able to schedule new care arrangements, check the status and details of care arrangements, submit forms for reimbursement and more, all from a single site.
Personalized, End-to-End Support—In addition to the features and resources noted above, your employees should receive personalized education and assistance with ongoing parenting, senior care, pet care and self care needs. Backup care specialists should follow up on every case and ensure that employees understand all of their options and next steps. The best programs even offer discounts on related products and services.

These four attributes are essential to maximizing utilization and ROI of your program, not to mention giving employees the backup care support they so urgently need.

If you’d like to learn more about implementing a backup care program, contact us here or call us at (833) 282-3366.

2019 Top Recruiting Trends: Benefits To Attract and Retain Multi-Gen Talent

“Organizations that take a strategic approach to their benefits program, leveraging benefits to recruit and retain employees, are nearly twice as likely to have more satisfied employees and to report better business performance compared with organizations that are not strategic with benefits.”

That insight comes from the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) 2018 Employee Benefits research report—and it’s something all employers need to keep in mind as the competition for talent gets even tougher in 2019, thanks to record-low unemployment, widening skills gaps and talent shortages, and shifting demographics (the influx of more Millennials and Gen Z workers).

These potent forces are transforming the composition of the workforce forever, which means employers need to attract workers from every generation to fill their talent needs in the years to come.

So how can your organization take a more strategic approach to its employee benefits in order to recruit and retain talent from all generations in the workforce today — Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Gen Z?

Simple: offer your employees a range of voluntary benefits that support their unique lifestyles and needs.

Breaking Through the Noise
People are more selective these days about which jobs they apply for based on the benefits being offered, observes a 2018 article from BenefitsPro.com. “Basic benefits like paid vacation and a 401(k) aren’t enough to break through the noise anymore. … In 2019, employers will need to focus on making their entire benefits package more enticing.”

Implementing a diversified array of cost-effective voluntary benefits not only makes your overall benefits package more enticing but it also enables you to effectively serve the unique and varied needs of every generation of workers. As the benefitsPro.com article notes, “attractive benefits can make the difference between whether a prospective employee accepts a job offer or not,” and voluntary benefits provide a cadre of solutions that can be customized to attract the talent you need.

Leverage These Five Voluntary Benefits Trends
Here are five voluntary benefits that are trending in 2019 and that are highly valued by all workers:

1. Work-life programs—While each generation may define work-life balance differently, they all desire it, notes a 2018 Forbes article. “By creating a work environment that prioritizes work-life balance, employers can save money and maintain a healthier, more productive workforce,” the article states. For a nominal cost, you can launch a comprehensive work-life program that provides your employees with 24/7 access to live specialists who are trained to deal with the full spectrum of work-life issues. Plus, the results and ROI of this type of program far exceed those of self-service programs.

2. Backup care—Inevitably, the child or elder care arrangements your employees have in place will break down at some point. Unless you have a backup care program in place, most employees will have to scramble to find alternate arrangements—and many will fail. That’s why nearly half of all working parents miss an average of four days of work at least once every six months … and workers who care for aging loved ones miss more than 126 million workdays per year. A state-of-the-art backup care program saves your company’s caregivers from the mad rush to find last-minute, alternate care. Plus, it’ll help your company slash absenteeism, presenteeism, productivity losses and stress. (See our previous post on backup care to learn about all of the business benefits it delivers.)

3. Senior care management—Workers from all generations are already (or soon will be) facing the challenge of caring for aging relatives and other loved ones. Without the right support, elder caregiving can take a heavy toll on your employees (in the form of absenteeism/presenteeism, caregiver burnout and poor health) and your organization (in lost productivity, turnover and health-related costs). A high-quality senior care management program provides a spectrum of invaluable services such as in-person assessments of elders, their homes and potential care facilities; detailed care recommendations; 24/7 telephonic and online services for the employee; and more.

4. Breast milk shipping—In 2017, more than 65% of mothers with children under six years old were part of the U.S. labor force, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A growing number of employers now offer a breast milk shipping service to their nursing mothers who travel as part of their jobs. You can provide additional support to your organization’s working mothers by giving them 24/7 access to lactation consultants, discounted breast pumps, and prescreened referrals to other lactation resources, as does LifeCare’s award-winning Mother’s@Work program.

5. Financial wellness—Employees spend approximately 150 hours of their time at work annually worrying about money, according to a 2017 Mercer study. Whether it’s unpaid student loans, credit card debt, healthcare-related expenses, or saving for retirement, every generation stresses out about finances. You can help put your employees’ minds at ease and get them on track financially by providing them with reliable financial wellness services including access to financial counselors, financial planning professionals and other resources designed to educate and empower them. A 2018 Bank of America Merrill Lynch survey asked employees what would improve their financial wellness most; they cited practical guidance that would “focus on the single next thing to do—one step at a time,” along with helping them save and invest for the future. So be particularly sure your financial wellness offerings cover those topics.

By incorporating these voluntary benefits trends into your talent acquisition strategy, you’ll cut through the noise of the marketplace and draw multigenerational talent to your brand for years to come.

As always, contact us here or call us at 1-(866) 675-3751 if you’d like to discuss anything you’ve read here or how LifeCare can serve your organization.

Which Work-Life Model Is Right for Your Organization?

For roughly four decades, work-life programs have improved the lives of workers and strengthened their employers’ organizations.

Throughout the years studies have shown that work-life programs help people integrate their work and personal responsibilities more efficiently, reduce their stress levels and remain healthier and happier overall. For organizations, work-life programs raise productivity and engagement levels while reducing turnover and burnout.

The benefits of work-life programs were highlighted again earlier this year when the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a report concluding that federal employees who take part in work-life programs are more likely to exceed expectations and better advance their agency’s mission. Ninety-six percent of the 64,000+ OPM survey respondents said they want to make use of at least one of their agency’s work-life programs.

So the question for today’s employers isn’t whether work-life programs are a wise investment. The question is … Which work-life model is right for your organization?

Two Basic Choices, One Big Difference

When it comes to work-life programs, employers can choose from two basic models: 1) the self-service model or 2) the call center model.

The self-service model gives employees access to online work-life resources such as articles, guidebooks and searchable databases (containing child care organizations, locations and contact information, for example). With this model, employees act as their own researchers and advocates, and they alone must find and utilize the resources that will help them most.

The call center model, on the other hand, offers employees the same online resources but it also provides them with 24/7 access to a call center staffed by knowledgeable live specialists who are trained to answer questions, offer guidance and personally assist employees in resolving their issues. Call center specialists ensure that employees are aware of all of the helpful resources available to them and that they utilize the best possible resources for their needs. This is especially important, as the needs of many employees are complex and fraught with critical decisions to be made. Having the ability to call specialists 24/7 to seek consultation and guidance reduces employees’ stress, saves them time and keeps them focused and productive on the job.

Here are a few examples of typical work-life issues that impact employees and how they would go about resolving them under each model:

A backup care emergency—One of your employees has a special-needs toddler and her regular child care provider has suddenly taken ill. Under the self-service model, the employee searches an online database of alternate child care providers, hoping to find ones that are certified to handle special-needs children and within a reasonable distance of her commute. She then contacts providers until she finds one she’s happy with and makes the necessary arrangements. Or, if the search becomes too difficult or time-consuming, she may give up and choose to stay home from work.

Under the call center model, your employee can contact a highly trained specialist, day or night, to help her find reliable care. After learning the details of the situation, the specialist does in-depth research to find reliable care that’s available when the employee needs it and calls back to present the options. The specialist can even make the care reservation for your employee. This unbiased, personalized support is a relief during what can be a very stressful situation, where there’s a small window dictating whether your employee will be able to get care and get to work.

Breastfeeding concerns—One of your employees is a soon-to-be or new mother and is feeling overwhelmed about breastfeeding her newborn. In addition, the stress of balancing breastfeeding and working can be a big challenge. Under the self-service model, she searches an online database of articles and guidebooks that may or may not address her specific concerns.

Under the call center model, your employee has 24/7, one-on-one access to certified lactation consultants to help her through challenges, answer questions and address concerns. This level of personalized assistance offers unparalleled peace of mind, especially for new parents.

Eldercare challenges—One of your employees is caring for his aging father who is suffering from the beginnings of dementia. Under the self-service model, he searches for materials about the condition and how he needs to prepare to take care of his father’s changing needs. Again, these materials may or may not address his specific needs and challenges.

Under the call center model, this employee can connect with a senior care expert about all the challenges he is facing. The personal touch and tailored support can be a tremendous relief during a time that can be upsetting, confusing and overwhelming, allowing your employee to make informed decisions for his loved one’s care.

Greater Support Pays Serious Dividends

Obviously, the call center model offers advantages over the self-service model. Being able to talk with live specialists means employees get the help they need faster and with less stress than when they have to act as their own researchers and advocates. This increases program utilization and ROI—not to mention satisfaction and engagement levels. Employees also feel more supported, respected and cared-for when they have access to live specialists.

In 2018 alone, LifeCare’s work-life programs (the call center model) saved clients’ employees an average of nearly 13 hours per call—that’s time they would have spent resolving their issues, often during work hours—and 82% of employees say we reduced their stress levels. In addition, 72% of our members said our programs increased their overall productivity while 80% reported an increase in employee loyalty.

If you’d like to discuss how a comprehensive work-life program could serve your organization and its people, contact us here or call us at 1-(866) 675-3751.

The Importance of Having a Diverse & Inclusive Benefits Offering

Diversity and inclusion are good for business—if you’re into profitability, growth and innovation, that is.

“Organizations with inclusive cultures are two times as likely to meet or exceed financial targets, three times as likely to be high-performing, six times more likely to be innovative and agile, and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes,” according to a recent article published by Inc.

Indeed, the correlation between positive business outcomes and diversity and inclusion (D&I) has been substantiated again and again by researchers such as McKinsey & Company (check out its Delivering through diversity study) and Deloitte (see its Global Human Capital Trends report). Even so, as the Inc. piece observed, while 71% of organizations aspire to have an inclusive culture, many struggle to achieve this goal.

One major stumbling block tripping them up: failure to align employee benefits with their commitment to D&I.

Inclusivity Extends Beyond Gender and Race

Your company’s hiring practices, employee development/promotion policies, and leadership principles are all crucial elements of your commitment to D&I. But they can be seriously undermined by poorly conceived and curated benefits.

“Good work on diversity and inclusion can be undone by benefits that do not align with diversity,” declares PricewaterhouseCoopers in Inclusion and Diversity – how employee benefits can show you mean what you say. “If we only give employees leave when their child is born, but not when they adopt a child, what message does this send? Getting (benefits) design wrong may turn our messages upside down.”

That’s a message worth heeding, especially when updating or enhancing your employee benefits (something you should be doing on a regular basis to bolster your talent attraction and retention initiatives). When rethinking benefits, employers often consider adding programs that enhance gender and racial inclusiveness. Of course, this is absolutely essential. However, they frequently overlook programs that are inclusive of another important group: their employees’ family members—children, elder loved ones, even their pets.

By implementing programs that address the needs of all family members, you’re showing workers in no uncertain terms that you care about and respect them as people, not just as “workers.” You’re acknowledging the significant responsibilities and concerns they have beyond their work life. And you’re showing respect for their “families” no matter how they define that term—whether they’re caring for children, older family members or friends, or pets.

All of this speaks volumes about you as a respectful and inclusive employer, and it can have a powerful, positive impact on how your employment brand is perceived in the marketplace.

Inclusive Benefits Worth Investing In

Here are five benefit programs that will help employees take better care of their families and better align your company with D&I:

1. Senior Care Management Programs—More than 1 in 6 working Americans are assisting with the care of an elderly or disabled family member, relative or friend. Full-time workers who act as caregivers miss an average of 6 workdays per year, amounting to 126 million missed workdays each year. Giving your employees access to a senior care management program helps them understand their aging loved ones’ unique needs, identify professional caregiving resources, and assist employees in implementing care recommendations—all of which can help slash those lost workdays and the stress that comes with caregiving.

2. Backup Care Programs—These programs give employees access to reliable caregiving alternatives when their regular arrangements break down. The best backup care resources: are available 24/7/365; give employees access to live care representatives, not just an online database of caregivers; are highly flexible, allowing employees to use (and pay) trusted family members and friends as backup caregivers; and provide caregiving resources for children, older loved ones, pets, and employees themselves. The demand for backup care programs continues to escalate; in 2017, utilization of LifeCare’s Backup Care Connection program increased more than 40%, and in 2018, LifeCare’s client organizations accounted for more than 70,000 visits to alternate care providers.

3. Wellness Programs—Wellness is another area where you can be inclusive and address a wide range of issues and needs. For example, you might focus on educating employees about specific health risks. Or you could provide preventative services such as biometric screenings. Or you could concentrate on specific problems such as diabetes, nutrition, smoking cessation or financial wellness. In fact, financial wellness is such a pervasive concern these days that LifeCare saw a 74% increase in requests for financial hardship counseling in 2018. Whatever you choose to focus on, giving employees access to wellness programs will pay dividends in improved employee health and your company’s alignment to D&I.

4. Pet Care Support Programs— For many of your employees, pets are family. Pets are also good for their health, happiness and productivity. So supporting pet care for your employees—particularly those who travel frequently for business—is a smart move. Pet care support can include telephonic access to specialists who can help locate veterinarians and other professional resources; pet backup care for times when employees travel or when their regular vets aren’t available; and discounts on pet supplies and services. If you think of pet care as a “niche” issue, think again: LifeCare saw a 72% increase in requests for assistance with pet care in 2018.

5. Career Development & Educational Support Programs—We’re not suggesting you pick up the educational tab for everyone in employees’ families! Your inclusiveness only needs to extend to your workers, but the career/educational programs you launch should help employees no matter what stage they’re at in their careers, what functions they work in, or whatever their professional goals are. These programs can include tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment assistance, internal coaching and mentoring programs, training workshops, and a host of other options. As research shows, career and educational support not only enhances your commitment to D&I but it also improves employee retention and the growth of your business.

Clearly, you should factor diversity and inclusion into your employee benefits. Otherwise you risk creating a serious disconnect in your messaging to win new talent, not to mention undermining the performance of your employees and your company.

As it turns out, your c-suite most likely wants greater alignment with D&I as well. A study by The Economist found that the majority of global business leaders it surveyed believe D&I promote better talent management (71%), employee satisfaction (64%), and corporate reputation (57%).

If you’d like to discuss implementing these and other work-life programs at your organization, contact us here or call us at (866) 675-3751.

What Is a Care Management Benefit and Why Does Your Company Need It?

Did you know that more than 1 in 6 working Americans report assisting with the care of an elderly or disabled family member, relative or friend? Or that caregivers working at least 15 hours per week indicated that this assistance significantly affected their work? And, of those that identified as full-time workers acting as caregivers, they reported missing an average of 6.6 workdays per year, which amounts to 126 million missed workdays each year?

When you consider that the cost of lost productivity due to caregiving to U.S. businesses is $17.1 to $33 billion annually, it’s clear that the business case for providing support to this population leads to positive results for both employers and employees.

That’s why a comprehensive Senior Care Management program can be monumentally helpful to caregivers. This employee benefit can assist with understanding an aging loved one’s care needs, identifying resources available and also assist with implementing care recommendations, improving employee productivity and retention.

Here are some best in class components of a comprehensive Senior Care Management employee benefit program.

In-Person Assessment
It is common for people to want to stay in their home and be as independent as possible for as long as possible. Aging and disabilities can make staying in an individual’s home challenging, and sometimes dangerous. A care manager can meet with the individual in their home, along with family members, to discuss current health problems and disabilities. The care manager can also evaluate the home to determine how to make it better equipped to meet the individual’s care needs. Recommendations such as removing scatter rugs and adding grab bars in the shower may help someone who is prone to falls decrease their chances of future falls. In some cases, an in-home assessment might make it clear that staying in the home might not be the best option. A care manger can help to educate and discuss other options available to help seniors live a comfortable life in an environment that best suits their needs.

Post-Hospitalization Assessment
It can be overwhelming to try to determine what kind of care someone will need after a hospital stay or short term rehab stay. A lot of questions can be answered by the doctor, nurses and social workers within the hospital or facility. It is also sometimes helpful to have an extra professional guide. The care manager can evaluate the home to determine if any modifications would be helpful in making it safe and assist in coordinating the care needed upon returning home.

Post Assessment Support
After the expert recommendations have been delivered, now what? A fully comprehensive care management program offers 24/7 support from specialists to help implement the care chosen. Specialists can walk through the care plan, answer additional questions, address any caregiving concerns, provide a sympathetic ear and so much more. Through end-to-end telephonic support, your employees will be able to make educated decisions and confidently put a care plan in place that will provide the best care possible for their loved one’s specific needs.

These are just a few examples of how a fully comprehensive Senior Care Management program can be a great help when caring for an older loved one or a loved one with disabilities, relieving stress and saving time and money. A service like this is not only helpful and educational, but will also give your employees peace of mind and confidence as they choose the right care.

For more information about Senior Care Management services, contact us here or call us at (866) 675-3751.