Caregiver Tax
Heather Zoccali
I work in the care space or care economy. I am a caregiver. I also need occasional care myself. Caregiving touches every aspect of my life.
While we have come far as a society since my caregiving journey started over 30 years ago, we still have a long way to go. When I talk and listen to others who provide services in the care space, a common theme emerges: a general lack of awareness of what caregiving truly entails and the cost to mental and physical health and financial well-being. These impacts and a lack of appreciation and funding for caregiver organizations can sometimes feel overwhelming and disheartening.
This is a call to action.
I recently found inspiration from Becca Lory Hector in a Linkedin post:
In the disability community, there is a term “disability tax.”
"This term in the disability community describes the additional effort, energy, finances, and time it takes people living with disabilities to regularly match what peers and colleagues do on a daily basis.
Things like showering, getting dressed, preparing meals, and getting where we need to go can often cost us so much "disability tax" that by the time we get to our jobs, we have already spent beyond our budget and that can make keeping a job unsustainable.”
Now imagine the person behind the scenes helping the person they care for accomplish the above things and add care for additional family members, work, and last, if at all-care for self.
I strongly feel that increased awareness of this “Caregiver Tax.” will help support this valuable group of people in our communities.
By employing this idea, we can increase awareness and support for caregivers by educating the company's employers, human resources, and staff to become an ally to caregiver employees.
How can we begin by thinking of ways to lower their "taxes"?
- Normalize asking for accommodations. Advocating for your loved one is already an emotionally labor-intensive process; advocating for what you need is uncomfortable for most caregivers. Creating a judgment, assumption, and shame-free space coupled with a set process sets up both employer and employees for success.
- Offering Flexible schedules.
Scheduling requirements are a massive strain and can add additional stress and “tax” on caregivers. Most caregivers have to attend, and transport loved ones to appointments and therapies, and coupled with their appointments add on work and life, it can be hard to maintain a 9-5 schedule.
Offering flexible schedules to caregivers can help them succeed in their job, and you benefit from their contributions.
- Remote/Hybrid work. This can be a game changer for caregivers. Offering remote/hybrid work options can reduce a caregiver's “tax” significantly. This creates an instant support system and trust for caregivers. The physical and emotional effort of getting out the door frees up the capacity for work in caregivers. Offering this space for caregivers to work in this way creates support, understanding, and autonomy, leading to workplace equity.
-Survey your workforce and offer tools to help caregivers to self-identify shows you are open and willing to learn how to support caregivers in the workplace.
-Creating a support group and policy where caregivers can tell you what they need.
-Hire and pay experts in the care space to hold webinars and workshops designed for caregivers and human resources professionals.
Caregivers are a vastly underutilized resource in the workplace. Born out of necessity, caregivers are skilled in project management and effective communication; they are solution-oriented problem solvers with incredible work ethic and efficiency; they understand networking, logistics, and operations and combine this understanding with empathy, adaptability, and humor.
Creating a space for caregivers to be comfortable disclosing their situation and needs without fearing being labeled unfairly can result in great benefits for both employer and employee.
Want more ideas? Reach out to me and see how to lower your employees' "caregiver tax" faster.
