"Sandwich" employees' productivity to take a hit

Leora Givoni, Small Act Major Impact
Leora Givoni, Small Act Major Impact

A high proportion of Australia's most experienced workers are juggling caring responsibilities for their children and retired parents at the same time, and the potential toll on their health and their productivity was huge even before the coronavirus started having an impact, an expert warns.

Communications expert and founder of Small Act Major Impact Leora Givoni says the most recent government data suggests 1.5 million workers in their 40s and 50s are "sandwiched" between caring responsibilities for the young and old, with 70% of working men and 85% of working women over the age of 45 providing or arranging care for an older loved one.

With mobile phones making 24/7 accessibility the norm, children leaving home later, and people living longer, these responsibilities have been infringing on the workplace like never before, Givoni says.

Given the added stress of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it's critically important for organisations to understand the demands on these employees and provide whatever support they can, she says.

Givoni has coached numerous executives in the sandwich cohort and observed the resulting stress and anxiety. Those in the midst of arranging professional help for an elderly parent, like moving them to an aged-care home or starting to make medical decisions on their behalf, are often the hardest hit, she says.

The situation can be overwhelming – especially given the number of care providers an employee might need to liaise with, and the number of compliance boxes that might need ticking – particularly when children still need help getting to and from school and other activities.

Sometimes employees will rise to the challenge, but crash afterwards. "You might have adrenalin running because you're setting this up... when things settle, that's when the body physically gets ill."

HR can make a significant difference by simply acknowledging this is a distinctive stage with distinctive challenges, Givoni says. "In a coaching environment, when someone has the opportunity to release something that is stressful for them, and you have the opportunity to normalise it... it's an 'a-ha' moment for a lot of people."

Employers should also offer practical support as it's needed, whether in the form of online resources or flexible work arrangements, and consider preparing employees before they reach a critical point.

Givoni's tips include:

  • inviting an expert to address staff on the topic;
  • developing simplified checklists on key processes, such as becoming a medical advocate; and
  • sharing lessons learned from experience, such as how a family WhatsApp group can save numerous phone calls and keep everyone in the loop.

Similarly, if an employee knows what medications a parent is on and who their lawyer is before a sudden decline in the person's health, they will be better able to cope when it happens; and if they are encouraged to tend to their own self-care before – and while – caring for others, they will be more likely to avoid burnout.

Self-care is especially important in the current climate of uncertainty, says Givoni.

"This is a moment in time; we don't know how long this moment will be. Carers have to be extra vigilant in self-care.

"How does that look? They need to make sure they are caring for their own mental health – for some that might be meditation, it might be exercise, it might be turning your phone off for an hour – and it requires very clear communication [about their own needs]."

Givoni acknowledges that HR and employers have to balance their ability to provide support with the added pressure now of simply keeping businesses afloat, and she says the extent of the resources and support employers should provide, and the urgency with which they should prepare, will vary between organisations.

It also requires an understanding the potential impact of the sandwich cohort on a particular organisation, Givoni says. Employers should know how many employees are in, and approaching, these years; and how many are top talent.

Government data is not updated often enough, she notes, but employers should have numbers of their own to guide responses.

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