Contributor: Alexandra Drane
To learn more about Alexandra, click here.
Source: Pixabay
File this under #ThisGoesWithoutSaying…Our country has a workforce problem that is creating unimaginable pressure for everyone. As in – there is LITERALLY no one left behind – only this time it’s not in a good way.
We don’t need to rehash the data (and there are tons of data) – you know it, are living it, or will live it. Under “normal” circumstances, being a “double duty” caregiver – caring for people at work and at home - can be intense. COVID has turbo-boosted that intensity - perpetuating cycles of upheaval, constantly saddling working caregivers with new challenges. You don’t just have to take our word for it— ARCHANGELS collaborated with members of the CDC to publish a study last summer that found that unpaid caregivers (someone caring for a child or adult over age 18) had significantly worse mental health than adults not in these roles. To be exact: 70% of all caregivers reported adverse mental health symptoms (such as depression and anxiety). For ‘sandwich generation’ caregivers (someone caring for a child AND an adult)—this percentage soared to 85%. And to take it one step further, nearly 52% of this group reported recent serious suicidal thoughts.
We know that caregivers need a lifeline. This is exactly why ARCHANGELS has its platform – to help employers get the resources they have directly to who needs them most.
And just in case the numbers you are seeing fly across every screen imaginable about caregiver burden, the “Great Resignation,” inequity, and mental health impacts are somehow feeling one step removed – CONSIDER THIS: ARCHANGELS did a quick survey of Wharton caregivers over the past few weeks, and here’s what we learned:
- 46% of those caring for loved ones are ‘in the red’ compared to 25% of the U.S. on average – that’s almost half of your colleagues, neighbors, friends (chances are it’s YOU) who are feeling serious impacts from all that is being required of them.
- The top buffer, or thing most alleviating intensity, at 54%, is having the ability to manage expenses, while the thing most driving intensity is having no time for yourself.
Here’s the big picture: even in a community like Wharton, where financial resources are more readily available than the U.S. population as a whole, there are still incredibly high levels of caregiver intensity, and it doesn’t guarantee that respite is available OR that those with the means to access it even know how or where to do so.
So…what do we DO with all this data? ARCHANGELS believes in leveraging it to build an immediately actionable, sustainable, and scalable set of next steps for creating impact.
- Start talking about the unpaid caregivers in your workforce right now. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. 43% of adults in the country right now are serving in this role – and it’s severely impacting their mental health. At every meeting you join for the next week, share your own story. You have one - guaranteed. It might not be you right now – but at almost 1 in 2 people…it is definitely someone you know. By bringing this topic up over and over and over, by bringing our own story to others, we give others the ability to see themselves reflected in that same reality. You can’t manage what you can’t measure, but you can’t measure what no one acknowledges is happening.
- Point people to the Caregiver Intensity Index™ (CII). Start with you. The CII is a two-minute, completely confidential quiz that gives you an immediate insight into your caregiving reality, helping you quickly parse out why things may be feeling suffocatingly hard.
- Know your Intensity Score and whether you’re in the green, yellow, or red. Use this language. Start normalizing what it means to be ‘in the red’ so that others are aware and understand that your approach-with-caution sign isn’t personal, that you could use support, and moreover, that you probably won’t ask for it.
- Pay serious attention to the top things driving your intensity (Drivers), and those alleviating it (Buffers). Whether you’re reading this right now from the perspective of an employer or an individual – you need to know where to invest resources first because the need is highest, and at the same time understand what is ALREADY working to keep your intensity or the intensity of your organization trending in the right direction.
- Get VERY familiar with what resources exist to support you in reducing that intensity – whether it’s by getting help in alleviating those drivers, or support in getting yourself more of those buffers. Knowledge is power – and we believe the knowledge of what can lower intensity is one of the MOST important superpowers. If you need them, ARCHANGELS has free resources that you can use to get started. Our BEST recommendation? March into your HR office, literally or figuratively, and ask where you can get support for whatever those drivers are. Ask what your company is doing to support unpaid caregiver stress. Share your own story.
As Wharton alumni, many of you are starting new companies and leading industries. You are uniquely positioned in these roles to advocate for caregiver support – for yourself and for those working alongside you. ARCHANGELS is here to help. But don’t wait on that. Don’t crawl, don’t walk, just RUN as fast as you can toward addressing the Caregiver Intensity of everyone around you – starting with yourself. We can’t fix the reality of the true h*ll that is the working reality for so much of our nation right now, but we can do something to make it better.
WINGS UP!
Contact Alexandra at: [email protected]