The Caring Report
Caregiving responsibilities can take emotional, physical and financial tolls on the caregiver and result in lower productivity and engagement at work. The report “Adult Caregiving: Generational considerations for America’s workforce,” details findings from research fielded among caregivers of adult family members among Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials.
Some key caregiver findings, further detailed by generation in the report, include:
- Most (58 percent) are caring for a parent or in-law, with spouse (16 percent) and adult child (10 percent) accounting for other top responses
- In addition to their caregiving responsibilities, most caregivers (55 percent) are working more than 30 hours per week
- Caregiving responsibilities result in missed work or tardiness (52 percent) and lower productivity on the job (22 percent)
- Caregivers report stress, anxiety and/or depression (61 percent), exhaustion (49 percent) and financial strain (44 percent)
- From their employers, caregivers most desire flexible schedules (67 percent), employer-paid family leave (50 percent) and the ability to work from home (42 percent)
- Caregivers long for mobile technology to help them manage their leave (85 percent)
“This report helps to spotlight not only the prevalence of caregivers in our workforce, but the many challenges they face in balancing personal and professional responsibilities,” said Michelle Jackson, assistant vice president of Regional Market Development at Unum.