Introduction
The ‘sandwich generation’ is a growing group of employees who care for both children and aging parents while balancing their jobs. In the UK, there are 1.4 million working-age adults in this category, and 61% are women. These parents and carers face emotional, financial, and professional challenges that affect their productivity and well-being.
For businesses, these caregiving responsibilities impact absenteeism, presenteeism, and employee retention, costing millions annually. Employers who support this group through proactive solutions, such as flexible policies and caregiver-specific benefits, can reduce these challenges. This blog explores the difficulties faced by the sandwich generation, the impact on businesses, and how solutions like Yurtle’s services can help.
Who Are the Sandwich Generation?
The sandwich generation refers to employees who care for children and aging parents at the same time. These dual caregiving responsibilities create challenges in multiple areas of life.
The Challenges They Face
Financial Strain: Many carers face financial difficulties. Research shows that 1 in 6 of sandwich carersreport financial strain due to caregiving expenses, with 1 in 12 reporting they ran out of food due to lack of money.
Emotional Stress: Balancing work and caregiving often leads to emotional stress. In fact, 31% of carersreport significant emotional difficulties.
Workplace Impact: 53% of sandwich carers reported that they were unable to work at all or as much as they would like because of their caring responsibilities resulting in absenteeism and presenteeism, affecting productivity and team dynamics.
Parents and carers in this group are at higher risk of burnout without the right support. Employers play a key role in providing tools to help them manage both caregiving and professional responsibilities.
How Caregiving Challenges Affect Businesses
Caregiving responsibilities affect employees and have a direct impact on businesses. Employers who don’t address these challenges risk higher costs and decreased productivity.
The Cost of Absenteeism and Presenteeism
When employees miss work due to caregiving emergencies, or when they are at work but unable to focus, the business suffers. In the UK, absenteeism linked to financial stress costs employers £3.7 billion annually. Presenteeism further reduces efficiency, making it harder for teams to meet goals.
Turnover and Recruitment Costs
Many parents and carers reduce their hours or leave their jobs altogether due to caregiving demands, leading to underemployment and high turnover. Replacing skilled employees is expensive, especially when factoring in recruitment and training costs. However, companies that provide caregiving support reduce turnover by 1–7% and reduce absenteeism by 10-50%, according to Harvard Business School.
Team Dynamics
When parents and carers struggle to meet their responsibilities, their output and contribution to collaborative work can suffer, leading to increased stress across teams. Supporting caregiving employees benefits everyone by improving morale and collaboration.
The Business Benefits of Supporting Carers
Investing in caregiving solutions is good for both employees and businesses. Companies that prioritise support for the sandwich generation see measurable improvements in retention, productivity, and engagement.
Retention
Employees who feel supported are more likely to stay with their employer. Reducing turnover saves money on recruitment and training, creating a more stable and experienced workforce. Due to their age, sandwich carers are often in senior roles and their presence in the workforce represents significant investment, making their position and knowledge a priority for retention.
Productivity
Providing caregiving and parenting resources reduces absenteeism and presenteeism, allowing employees to focus fully on their tasks. Scalable solutions like Yurtle’s app ensure that caregiving responsibilities don’t disrupt operations.
A Resilient Workforce
Supporting the sandwich generation fosters a culture of trust and compassion. When employees feel valued, they are more engaged and motivated, leading to stronger team performance.
How Employers Can Support the Sandwich Generation
Employers can help the sandwich generation balance work and caregiving responsibilities by offering proactive and flexible support.
1. Flexible Work Policies
Providing flexible schedules or remote work options allows employees to manage caregiving duties more effectively. This reduces stress, improves morale, and increases retention. For parents and carers, day-to-day flexibility creates the balance needed to meet both personal and professional responsibilities.
2. Caregiver-Specific Benefits
Tailored benefits address the immediate needs of caregiving employees. For example:
Care co-ordination: Yurtle’s app enables parents and carers to create teams around those they look after to ensure that they are able to balance their many responsibilities, keep track of the care they provide and have a team who can help when care needs fluctuate. These proactive tools empower employees to take control of their caregiving roles while staying productive at work.
Backup Care: Yurtle’s insurance product enables carers, parents and the entire workforce rapidly access funds in the event of an accident or health emergency. Our care marketplace then helps employees access short-term or long-term care for dependents if they need to.
Financial Planning Resources: Offering tools to manage caregiving expenses helps reduce financial strain, allowing carers to focus on their work.
Conclusion
The sandwich generation faces unique challenges, but employers have the tools to help them succeed. By offering flexible work policies, caregiver-specific benefits, and scalable solutions like Yurtle’s services, businesses can support their caregiving employees while improving retention and productivity.
Investing in caregiving solutions builds a resilient care team that benefits employees, businesses, and the bottom line. Employers who act now can create a workplace that balances compassion with success.
Sources: ONS, Havard Business School, Aegon.
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