Employers: Are you championing your working caregivers?

Creating a culture of care supporting working caregivers is a win-win-win!

Author

ieadvocates
May 06, 2025

Working Caregivers-The Invisible Employees Newsletter

Brought to you by ieadvocates (invisible employee advocates)

Thank you for being here!

Why Is Championing Working Caregivers So Important?

The reasons to create a culture of care in your organization are aplenty. The results feed into a significant and continuous cycle of care and positive impact.

The impact of creating a culture of care is win-win-win

When an employer creates a culture of care that includes promoting a safe environment, training managers and HR to be empathetic, reevaluate benefits and encourage work flexibility, this has a significant positive impact on a working caregiver.

When an employee feels safe to speak up about their caregiver challenges, asks for support and received support, this has a significant positive impact on their caregiving and care recipient.

When a care recipient receives support and feels safe and there is a plan in place, this has a significant positive impact on a working caregiver.

When a working caregiver feels gratitude and supported, they are more productive, engaged, and will show gratitude through loyalty and happiness.

When an employer has a happy engaged productive employee, they will be creating a culture of care that will allow them to improve the way they recruit, retain, and leverage a competitive edge.

Win-win-win! We hope you get the point! For a great example of an employer championing their working caregivers, check out this edition’s podcast spotlight on Harry & David where we speak with Rhonda Klug, a true working caregiver advocate.

Table of Contents

In the news:

Latest research, events, and articles that are making an impact for working caregivers and their employers.

Creating Caregiver-Friendly Work Environments Is Better For Business

Cherie Kloss makes a significant case about how creating a culture of care will have a significant impact on working caregivers. This can be measured in reduced turnover rates, increased loyalty, and increased productivity. She speaks from lived experiences. Though she speaks primarily about working mothers, her story applies to all working caregivers.

Get your CFO on board for caregiving benefits - a Guide from Cleo

Cleo, according to their website, is “a human-guided, global care platform for all of life's changes and stages”. They have helped employers promote holistic care for the majority of their employees. This recent ebook is a great guide with 12 questions for CFO’s to consider when considering a caregiver benefit.

 Did you know? (Read our blog):

Our blog brings you knowledge, personal and researched, to raise your awareness and empathy about working caregivers and caregiving.

Why Working Caregiver Benefits Matter (Blog 5/6/25)

If you are an employer, whether a small business owner or large corporation, you may wonder why offering caregiver benefits to your employees is important. You may be asking yourself: “Is it really necessary? Can I afford it?  Why should I--no one has asked me for them? We agree that the advantages of offering these benefits may not be so obvious. So, let’s take a few minutes to discuss some of the positive consequences for business owners who make the decision to do so. Before we get there, however, let’s consider some pertinent facts and figures that may help guide your decision.

People and Companies In the spotlight:

Our podcast puts a spotlight on guests who are making a significant difference in the working caregiver space.

Episode 17: How Harry & David Champions Their Working Caregivers

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Rhonda Klug from Harry & David to talk about the often invisible and deeply personal journey of working caregivers. From supporting her parents through dialysis and COPD to leading real cultural change within her organization, Rhonda shares her firsthand experience that sparked a company-wide movement of support and empathy. She takes us behind the scenes of how Harry & David and the broader 1-800-Flowers family are creating a more compassionate workplace for employees who are balancing caregiving responsibilities with their careers. If you're an employer wondering how to retain and uplift your caregiving employees—or you're a caregiver looking for inspiration on how to advocate for yourself—this is the episode for you.

Rhonda is head of Experiential & Retail Marketing and Community Relations for Harry & David (a group company of 1-800-FLOWERS). She's an accomplished and dedicated PR professional with over 28 years' expertise in developing and executing all aspects of public outreach campaigns. She presides over developing and implementing programs that promote goodwill and nurture relationships with Community Leaders, including leading the “caregiver-friendly workplace” initiative for the entire group of 1-800-Flowers companies.

Stories From Real Working Caregivers:

Actual working caregivers share their stories.

Meet Paula Muller, a real working caregiver:

Paula Muller, Founder of CareLink360

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“ If the employer starts talking, they can start normalizing the conversation.  If the employer is open, the employee is going to start to open themselves. Important not to think that it is a weakness. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of being resourceful and that you want to perform to your best.”

Paula Muller, PhD. Founder of CareLink360, brings a wealth of experience in healthcare technology, including a background in Biomedical Engineering, EEG analysis in Switzerland, Ph.D., and Post-doc work with Parkinson's patients. Her career spans tech and software development roles at companies like SiriusXM, Net-Scale Technologies, and Authentidate. Paula is certified in Individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (iCST), a Dementia Sales Advisor (DSA-NC), a Dementia Care Certified (CDC), a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia Care Training (CADDCT), and a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and volunteers as a bilingual Community Educator and support group facilitator for the Alzheimer's Association. Paula’s vision for CareLink360®, inspired by her commitment to family bonds, aims to bring older adults and their loved ones closer together, Changing The Way The World Ages®.

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“I think employees need to be open. They are not asking for something special or for special treatment. It is just that they need help, and it is so important for mental health. Stress is one of the situations that at the end, stress not only affects your mental health, but it also has consequences on your physical health. So, I think it is important that employees realize that asking for help or framing the situation that they have as not something out of the ordinary, but just a normal part of living, and discussing it with the employer and discussing with the other colleagues. ”

Recommended media content:

We explore and share with you diverse media illuminating the dynamics and narratives within the care economy - from insightful podcasts to thought-provoking books and engaging videos.

PODCASTS

This episode of The Caring Generation® Podcast with host Pamela D. Wilson is a great collection of valuable content to support caregivers. Each letter is an important topic. Be sure to listen for “J” which is “Job” is for the article How to Keep a Job and Care for Elderly Parents and it covers working and the challenges of taking time off work for caregiving activities.

VIDEOS

Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace with Dr. Jennifer Birdsall, Clinical Director, ComPsych Corporation. This presentation was recorded at the 2024 Annual Benefits Forum on March 5, 2024. It covers common work-life challenges faced by caregivers, holistic well-being services that can support caregivers and reduce caregiver stress and opportunities for managers to support team members who are caregivers.

 BOOKS

We would like to recommend our book if you have not a had a chance to read it yet. Or you can get an executive summary here and let us know what you think. It is a good start to learn more about what employers can do for working caregivers or if you are a working caregiver what you can do to get more support.

With gratitude, we share a book review:

We want to thank RM3 who took the time to read our book and provide a thoughtful review!

“This book is very well written and such a great resource for caregivers and anyone dealing with aging parents. You will not regret reading this book.”

Order your copy of Working Caregivers-The Invisible Employees book here. If you want to order a quantity of books for your leadership team and employees, contact us directly about discount pricing.

Order Working Caregivers-The Invisible Employees Book here

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