08-07-2024
The United States is lagging behind other countries in adopting and implementing policies that address caregiver burnout, particularly for employees of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) companies. Ellen Ernst Kossek, the Mitch Daniels School of Business’ Basil S. Turner Distinguished Professor of Management, says it’s an omission that could have dire ramifications in the future.
“We’re going to see shortages of doctors, engineers, and other technical fields, especially among women, as they tend to bear the majority of caregiving responsibilities,” Kossek says. “Many companies have not evolved, and the shift to hybrid or remote work brought on by the pandemic has only exacerbated the failure of companies to adopt clear, updated policies.”
It's an important issue to tackle, considering about 70 percent of U.S. workers are caregivers, either for children, elderly parents, spouses or partners, and other family members.
Kossek led in co-authoring a 2021 paper about how COVID-19 disrupted work-life boundaries for women in STEMM fields (adding an extra M for medicine). The study found that many women experienced burnout at work or home or both, making them at risk for occupational turnover. Their employers did not support their care demands or they could not find sufficient outside assistance to ease their caregiving burdens.
In 2024, Kossek contributed to a National Academies of Science committee report that called for more action to support caregivers working in technical fields. She says there are several things employers can do to help retain employees as they care for children, parents, and partners.
“Companies need to change the culture of work-life integration, setting boundaries for hybrid or remote workers to be able to truly disconnect from their jobs. Policies should be plainly stated and easy for employees to understand. Also, we need to be inclusive of all jobs, including front line workers, and look at creative options such as shift trading to give workers the flexibility they need to be able to do their jobs while fulfilling their roles as caregivers,” she says.
Kossek discusses work-life balance for caregiving employees in this podcast with Stephanie Creary, assistant professor of management at the Wharton School, and Jennifer Andrews, head of equity and inclusion at Guardian.
