Benefits, policies, and resources working together: How Northwestern Mutual supports employee caregivers with Wellthy

The demands of caregiving — especially when unexpected — can lead employees to sacrifice their well-being, finances, and careers to focus on care. What can employers do to both help their teams better prepare for the realities of caregiving, and support them in their moments of need? That was the topic of our recent webinar, HR.com, "Bridging the care gap: Employers' critical role in helping employees plan for care.” 

Our CEO and co-founder, Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, was joined by Wellthy Director of Care, Tasha Gaskins, and Senior Director of Employee Benefits at Northwestern Mutual, Janet Lucas-Taylor for the discussion.

Don’t have time to watch the full replay? Catch the highlights below.

The reasons we don't plan for care — and the cost of inaction

The session began with a deep dive into the reasons why many of us fail to prepare for future caregiving responsibilities. Among the reasons discussed were discomfort with the idea of aging, a belief that they won't need additional help, or a lack of understanding about the sheer cost of care. 

Most of all, the thought of starting and having these conversations with loved ones can be scary. However, with 70% of adults eventually requiring long-term care and 76% of family caregivers unprepared for these responsibilities, the cost of inaction is high. 

Employees are often introduced to caregiving only when a caregiving crisis has emerged and this can lead to leaves of absence, job resignations, and significant impacts on both employees and employers.

How to start having care conversations with our loved ones

Having early conversations about loved ones' wishes can help families make informed decisions and better manage future caregiving responsibilities. But how do we start those conversations? Lindsay and Tasha share their advice in the video below: 

“Caregiving is a journey, it’s not an event. It takes a long time, Often time it’s years in the making. It’s not a one and done conversation, things change, things develop. And it’s not a checklist either."

– Janet Lucas Taylor, Senior Director of Employee Benefits, Northwestern Mutual

The power of holistic employer support

Employers can play a critical role by providing support with caregiving responsibilities, fostering open conversations about care, and encouraging proactive thinking about future caregiving roles.

Watch this clip to learn how Northwestern Mutual has designed their caregiver support program and the positive impact it’s had on their organizational culture:

“I think it’s tremendously impacted culture. It concretely demonstrates for our employees that NM cares about them and their families… And it’s less of a total reward in many ways than it is part of our employee value proposition overall and part of our employee experience.”

– Janet Lucas Taylor, Senior Director of Employee Benefits, Northwestern Mutual

Making a business case for caregiving support and advice for other employers 

We wrapped up with Tasha and Janet's advice for how to make the business case for caregiving support, especially when budgets are tight, and how to create a program that meets employees where they are. 

If you want to see more insights from this conversation, watch the full webinar recording here.