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The Time for Workplace Inclusivity for Caregivers is Now
We are in a potential turning point in America's history to make the workplace inclusive of employed caregivers.
Below are reasons why Professionals Who Care believes the time is now to unite voices for change.
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Technological Advancements Have Created New Opportunities
Technology has drastically changed the workplace since the concept of the ideal worker was created. It is now possible to hold meetings remotely, access one’s work from any computer, and access necessary tools from one’s personal smartphone. Along with these advancements, there are also proven tools to manage more complex work schedules which allow for greater flexibility– such as on-site employees being able to exchange shifts. Additionally, success in the workplace does not always need to be verified by a supervisor watching staff over their shoulders, as technology can provide accountability and performance metrics.
Technology is the game changer in enabling more inclusive practices for those who cannot conform to traditional work standards.
Business of Inclusivity
Organizations are learning that inclusivity is good for business. Groups focused on identity issues, such as disabilities, LGBTQA+, race, or women, have fought for greater representation in leadership and greater inclusivity in policies. In 2020, the United States experienced greater racial reckoning, with a realization of the social responsibility of everyone to pursue diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI). Businesses additionally realized that they could benefit from being more socially conscious through retention, hiring, and improved customer experience.
The Catalyst of the Covid-19 Pandemic
The timing of the creation of Professionals Who Care is important as the country enters into a post-pandemic phase. The covid-19 pandemic was devastating across the globe. In the United States, the lack of familial supports caused a large exodus of women from the workforce, including 2 million women by the first fifteen months. However, the pandemic also escalated the country’s adaptation of flex time and remote work, as seen by the virtual meeting platform of Zoom having their profits multiply by 49.47 times from 2019 to 2021, with 300 million daily meeting participants being reported by June 2020 on Zoom alone.
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Importantly, the pandemic created a season where there could be significantly less flexibility bias against those asking for non-traditional work hours or work locations for many jobs – especially for office work - because most people were also conducting their work virtually.
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The pandemic inadvertently created more inclusive workplace guidelines for many parents, guardians, those with disabilities, and caregivers. As the country enters the post-pandemic phase, 73% of employers believe that a flexible workplace will help them retain their staff, and 43% of employees share that they intend to look for another job if flexibility and caregiving benefits are reduced.
The Continuum of Invisibility during the Covid-19 Pandemic
It is important to emphasize that most companies were not trying to purposely make the workplace more inclusive for caregivers during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. The country’s response to the pandemic was to maximize work-from-home opportunities to limit the spread of the virus, not to develop greater inclusivity. Additionally, employers became more focused on home responsibilities and personal stressors primarily because of the parental crisis with closed schools and daycares – resulting in parents or guardians working remotely with children at home or working in-person with children at home. Employers focused on families struggling to respond to the drastic shifts in childcare.
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Most of the messaging during the pandemic concerning home struggles focused more on how parents and guardians of abled-bodied children were coping and overlooked the 32.3 million employed caregivers. 66% of employers stated high levels of support for parents with young children, yet only 32% of employers felt the same regarding family caregivers.
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“Employers rushed to implement solutions for parents with young children, such as daycare and nanny access, but most approaches did not address the full continuum of caregiving needs in their diverse population.” (15)
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“Though the pandemic caused employers to expand flexible working arrangements for their employees, these benefits have typically favored working parents over working family caregivers due to a lack of understanding about family caregivers’ needs.” (10)
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The caregiving bias continued during the pandemic. Employers primarily discussed the stress of standard childcare, even though caregivers had overwhelmingly difficult and often traumatic experiences during the pandemic including:
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the widespread cancellation of disability and elderly supports;
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the risk of passing the virus onto care recipients (who had higher rates of vulnerability);
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higher rates of death from the covid-19 virus for care recipients, alongside with high death tolls in nursing homes;
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de-prioritization of medical care for care recipients compared to abled-bodied individuals;
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separation from care recipients during medical care and hospital stays, and more
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For the most part, the state of invisibility continued for employed caregivers, even with expanded work benefits and greater focus on employee well-being.
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The Exclusive Message of 'Getting Back to the Way Things Were'
As covid-19 vaccinations rolled out, employers grappled with the question of what the post-pandemic workplace would look like. Because of the long-term nature of the pandemic, many employees have adjusted to virtual work and preferred the arrangement. In contrast, however, many in power have called for a return to ‘the way things were,’ or to ‘get back to normal’.
Degrading labels have been given to those who prefer virtual work, such as lazy or uncommitted, thereby returning to the tradition of flexibility bias in the workplace. For example, one hiring manager was put in the spotlight for posting discriminatory comments, “As a nation it seems we have become spoilt and entitled… They want to see their children in the morning or their sister can have their children at certain hours, but deep down, I'm just seeing a lazy mentality.” (16)
In essence, this pushback is a call to return to the ideal worker standards that are not inclusive to parents, guardians, those with disabilities, or caregivers.
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“It is imperative that we do not return to normal in a world where for some people, “normal” means being discriminated against daily while others turn a blind eye to the issue, or where normal means unsustainable expectations for our time, labor and productivity.” (13)
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Instead of returning to the acceptance of the archaic ideal worker standard, we should use the catalyst of the proven success of widespread flexible employment opportunities and seek to create a more inclusive workplace. It is important to advocate now for greater inclusivity by offering remote and flexible work opportunities without marginalization or stigma.
Inclusivity Now Resources
1. ​Ammerman, C., & Groysberg, B. (2021, May 26). Pandemic's uneven toll shows most 'workplaces still don't work for women'. Newsweek. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.newsweek.com/2021/06/11/pandemics-uneven-toll-shows-most-workplaces-still-dont-work-women-1594721.html 2. Das, M., Tang, J., Ringland, K. E., & Piper, A. M. (2021). Towards Accessible Remote Work: Understanding Work-from-Home Practices of Neurodivergent Professionals. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 5(CSCW1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1145/3449282 3. Hackett, K. (2020). When caring never stops. Nursing Standard, 35(2), 19–21. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.35.2.19.s12 4. Hirsh, C. E., Treleaven, C., & Fuller, S. (2020). Caregivers, Gender, and the Law: An Analysis of Family Responsibility Discrimination Case Outcomes. Gender & Society, 34(5), 760–789. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243220946335 5. Iqbal, M. (2022, March 3). Zoom revenue and usage statistics (2022). Business of Apps. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.businessofapps.com/data/zoom-statistics/ 6. Kasten, J. (2021). Assessment of family caregivers’ needs: What employers need to know. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(7), 1038–1041. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171211030142e 7. Khazan, O. (2021, May 19). What bosses really think of remote workers. The Atlantic. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/05/can-working-remotely-hurt-your-career/618922/ 8. Peralta, P. (2021, June 16). Disabled employees are reaping the benefits of remote work. Employee Benefit News. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.benefitnews.com/news/disabled-employees-to-find-more-job-opportunities-post-covid#:~:text=The%20pandemic%20brought%20about%20a,to%20work%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20says. 9. Peters, S. E., Dennerlein, J. T., Wagner, G. R., & Sorensen, G. (2022). Work and worker health in the post-pandemic World: A public health perspective. The Lancet Public Health, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(21)00259-0 10. Roman, C., Bane, S., & Opthof, E. (2021). How Employers and States Can Support the Essential Workforce of Family Caregivers. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(7), 1045–1047. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171211030142g 11. Ruksakulpiwat, S., Zhou, W., Phianhasin, L., Benjasirisan, C., Fan, Y., Su, T., & Chiaranai, C. (2021). The experience of caregivers of chronically ill patients during the COVID-19: A systematic review. Chronic Illness, 174239532110648. https://doi.org/10.1177/17423953211064854 12. Saad, L., & Wigert, B. (2022, March 21). Remote work persisting and trending permanent. Gallup.com. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://news.gallup.com/poll/355907/remote-work-persisting-trending-permanent.aspx 13. Schroeder, L. (2022, February 25). Should a return to normal really be our goal? Pathfinder. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://pwestpathfinder.com/2022/02/25/should-a-return-to-normal-really-be-our-goal/ 14. Skinner, M., Betancourt, N., & Wolff-Eisenberg, C. (2021). The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women and caregivers in academia. 15. Sowa, M., & McCann, R. (2021). No Budget for Caregiver Support? Employers Can Consider Linkages With DEI and Mental Health to Retain Talent. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(7), 1029–1032. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171211030142b 16. Tilo, D. (2021, September 21). 'lazy, entitled, spoilt': Recruiter's WFH rant goes viral. HRD America. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.hcamag.com/us/news/general/lazy-entitled-spoilt-recruiters-wfh-rant-goes-viral/310732 17. Tugend, A. (2021). Welcome to the Post-Pandemic Workplace. Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, 28(12), 20–21. 18. Willcocks, L. (2020, April 2). LSE Business Review: Remote working: Here to stay? LSE Business Review. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104509/1/businessreview_2020_04_02_remote_working_here_to.pdf