Help your employees juggle work and caregiving duties
By Allstate Benefits
Last updated: May 2025
It’s likely that some of your employees are caring for others and struggling to balance work and caregiving responsibilities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 92% of families with underage children had at least one employed parent in 2023. Both parents were employed in 67% of these families.
In addition, 1 in 5 Americans care for older relatives, spouses, friends or neighbors with daily hygiene and household tasks such as cleaning, cooking and bathing. Balancing these responsibilities with the demands of a job can take a heavy toll on physical and mental health.
The challenges of caregiving
Working caregivers, much more so than their non-working counterparts, report higher levels of mental distress and burnout.
Common caregiver challenges include physical, cognitive and mental health problems, such as fatigue, difficulty with memory and concentration, depression and anxiety, and irritability. This can lead to increased absenteeism from work, financial problems and strained relationships.
Help your employees make time for self-care
The National Institute on Aging suggests that caregivers make time for a little self-care, and employers can help workers with this:
- Staying active. Start a fitness program at work. Organize 20-minute walking events to encourage workers to get out and move on their lunch hours. Offer pedometers so employees can track their activities, and reward employees who participate.
- Maintaining a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water. Make sure healthy snacks and bottled water are available in vending machines or snack carts.
- Getting adequate sleep. Employers can include healthy sleep tips and other wellness information in company newsletters.
- Taking stress relief breaks. Offer short meditation, tai chi, yoga, or stretching sessions during the day. Set aside a quiet room where workers can take quick breaks to recharge.
- Getting regular medical checkups. Offer affordable medical, therapy, family care and wellness benefits and encourage employees to use them.
- Talking to someone. Offer a list of support resources.
- Asking for help when needed. Offer a family care program with your employee benefits package.
Cultivate a work environment where caregivers can succeed
With so many caregivers in the workforce, it’s important for employers to make accommodations when they can. Employers with flexible workplace policies can help their employees achieve good work-life balance, decrease complaints of unlawful discrimination, and grow their customer base and profits.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lists best practices, including:
- Train managers about employment laws regarding the treatment of workers with caregiving responsibilities.
- Review your hiring, promotion, pay, benefits, attendance and leave policies to ensure they don’t discriminate against caregivers.
- Develop job-related qualification standards for each position. Focus on job duties and competencies to minimize the potential for gender stereotyping and discrimination against caregivers.
- Ensure job openings and promotion opportunities are communicated to all eligible employees, regardless of caregiving responsibilities.
- Offer flexible schedules or work-from-home opportunities to help employees achieve work-life balance.
- Consider job-sharing or reduced hours for employees who need extra time at home.
- Ask for volunteers to work overtime. If overtime is required to meet the needs of your organization, schedule it as far in advance as possible to allow employees to arrange for child or elder care.
- Provide reasonable personal or sick leave.
Offer the resources employees need to stay healthy
Allstate Benefits offers flexible, convenient and cost-effective solutions that can help your employees manage the stress of caregiving.
Flexible family care
Allstate Benefits health plan designs and supplemental products include flexible family care with Papa Caregivers. Members get 10 hours a year at no cost and can purchase additional hours directly through Papa as needed.
Papa is the workforce behind your workforce, offering flexible family care to your employees:
- Backup care for children ages three and older, and assistance with homework, snacks, meals and playtime.
- Help with errands, light housework or pets.
- Companionship, transportation, and more, for aging or ill loved ones, near and far.
Virtual care
Virtual urgent care and counseling visits are included with Allstate Benefits Core Value and fully insured health plan designs.
- Urgent Care: U.S. board-certified doctors and medical providers are available 24/7/365 to diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for many minor illnesses and injuries via phone and/or video visits.
- Virtual counseling: For members age 10+. Licensed therapists can help with a wide range of mental and emotional health needs. Receive ongoing support, on your schedule, from the comfort of your home via phone and/or video visits in as little as 48 hours.
Wellness program
Consider adding a wellness program to your Allstate Benefits Self-Funded Program. Wellness programs encourage members to make lifestyle choices that can improve physical health and decrease stress and health care costs for everyone.
Contact a sales representative to learn more about how Allstate Benefits can help your company and your employees.