We often see organizations narrowing the scope of caregiving in their policies to childcare. However, a holistic approach, considering different types of caregiving is the need of the hour, as it boosts retention and productivity of employees, enabling business growth and success.
According to reports, caregiving is a crucial reason for women leaving the workforce, as they do four times more unpaid work than men.
Organizations keen on a gender-balanced workforce, improving job satisfaction and overall growth of employees must consider other policies:
- Paternity policy: A newborn child needs a father’s attention too. Research says that the bond formed between the child and the father in the first three months determines the bond between them for life. A paternity leave policy will also help the mother meet needs of maternity. A few organizations have a paternity policy leave for a few days. Raising them can benefit families as it also contributes to work-life balance.
- Elder-care policy: More than 65% of the Indian population is below 35 years. A significant percentage of the population is above 60 years and is projected to increase to 20%. In organizations, there are no or rare policies that revolve around elderly care. Having policies around elder care will benefit men and women.
- Self-care policy: With a fast-paced life, everyone feels exhausted at some time or the other. We feel the need to be in peace, switch off from the world and rejuvenate. Without policies around self-care, employees tend to give excuses while seeking leaves. But giving excuses often only builds stress. Policies around self-care will help them rejuvenate and bounce back.
Many leave jobs due to the lack of policies. They feel guilty for taking long leaves (without pay) and decide to quit as caregiving responsibility is more important to them. As a result, organizations lose talent.
When organizations decide to design these policies, they can dig deep and have thoughtful policies from the caregivers’ perspective.
