With the world’s fastest-aging population, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is gearing up to face a major economic hurdle: a mass talent exodus. Retirees aside, the cohort of workers that APAC employers are most at risk of losing in the coming years—who also happen to comprise the bulk of the region’s workforce—are caregivers. Already in places like Singapore, China, and Indonesia, employee-caregivers make up anywhere from 60 to a staggering 84 per cent of the workforce. Now, as many worry about their aging parents in addition to children or other dependents, researchers expect the number of working caregivers to grow by about 100 million over the next decade, to a total of 1.2 billion in 2035.

With caregivers already making up a large chunk of the labour force, it’s understandable why some might ask, ‘what’s the big deal?’ in response to the growing concern over the region’s aging population and the subsequent rise in caregivers. But recent survey data shows cause for concern. According to a new report, employee-caregivers are 70 per cent more likely than their peers to say that they are worried about their health and wellbeing. Similarly, studies have found that working caregivers report higher rates of depression and anxiety, problems such as sleep disturbances and fatigue, self-abandonment, work-life imbalance, and are more likely to rate their overall quality of life as poor. As a result, experts say that if employee-caregivers do not receive the support they need—and soon—the region could suffer a loss of up to $250 billion in lost productivity, lost workdays, and most egregiously, in lost talent by 2035.

So what can employers do to prevent this? The good news is that there’s a lot employers can do to enhance the wellbeing of their caregiving employees.

Starting with the obvious, flexible work arrangements (FWAs) can be a lifeline for caregivers struggling to balance the time-consuming demands of work and family responsibilities. In one recent survey of more than 1,000 employee-caregivers, a whopping 85 per cent of respondents said that FWAs could make all the difference when it came to improving their overall wellbeing. Thankfully, since the pandemic, research shows that up to 83 per cent of employers now offer at least one FWA on an ad-hoc if not regular basis—suggesting that such arrangements should be an easy accommodation for many organisations to make.

Likewise, for caregivers either hoping or required to work at the office or on-site full time, care assistance can also be a saving grace. Research shows that up to four in every five employee-caregivers rely on child- or elder-care services to attend their paying jobs, whilst two-thirds of working caregivers say that daycare centres, home care services, and financial assistance could significantly improve their work-life balance. In a region where professional care services remain scarce as caregiving is still largely considered the responsibility of the family, providing employee-caregivers with access to professionals who can help them locate the services they need could be a huge help.

Most importantly, as working caregivers face greater psychological distress—including depression, anxiety, compassion fatigue, burnout, financial stress, and parental guilt—providing them with ample counselling support becomes paramount to maintaining their health and engagement. Citing concerns surrounding a child or dependent’s behavioural or emotional needs, dealing with parental stress, balancing work and life responsibilities, and managing finances, some studies have found that less than a quarter of caregivers feel “prepared for the task.” Meanwhile, studies on caregivers’ workplace wellbeing have observed problems with concentration, conflicts with co-workers, loneliness, and low self-esteem. By granting employee-caregivers access to flexible counselling support—whether on-site or virtual, on a drop-in, short-term, or ongoing basis—employers can ensure that they have the psychological tools they need to cope with stress, maintain good mental health, and bring their full selves to work.

Providing the Right Support: How a Holistic Wellbeing Solutions Provider Can Help

Whilst these objectives may seem daunting when considered individually, there is a way to satisfactorily address each as part of a seamless, integrated approach. And that way is by partnering with a holistic wellbeing solutions provider like Workplace Options (WPO) who can help.

Featuring comprehensive emotional, physical, and practical support solutions, WPO is uniquely equipped to address challenges across work, life, and personal domains. With its recently launched consulting group, employers can receive tailored guidance from industry experts on how to craft a wellbeing strategy suited to the complex needs of their caregiving employees. This includes advice on how to establish inclusive and equitable FWAs and leave policies that strengthen caregivers’ performance and wellbeing at work; tips on how to identify, mitigate, and monitor psychosocial risks; assistance in establishing employee feedback systems and employee resource groups (ERGs) that can foster employee-caregivers’ sense of agency and belonging, respectively; and help with developing effective strategies to combat burnout and cultivate resilience.

Moreover, WPO offers targeted solutions that may support employee-caregivers, including:

• Work-Life Services, which allow employee-caregivers to outsource important, time-consuming personal tasks—such as finding care and financial assistance—to professional consultants, who conduct research and provide actionable information on local child, dependent, and elder care services, as well as resources related to financial and legal issues that fit employees’ needs.
• New Parent Return to Work, in which coaches provide practical support to parents and managers before, during, and after a leave: helping them collaborate on mutually beneficial and effective exit and re-entry strategies; helping parents navigate practical aspects of their leave and return, such as securing childcare, exploring breastfeeding options, implementing time-management strategies, and coping with parental guilt; and discussing common leave challenges and potential solutions with managers.
• Child and Family Wellbeing, in which fully licensed and experienced pediatric care specialists work with parents and their families on a customised care plan that’s right for them, which may include informed recommendations to localised support resources including child-specific counsellors and behavioural specialists, as well as individual and family counselling to address common issues like childhood anxiety and depression, poor academic and social confidence, and parental stress and burnout.
• Amplify, a service offering dedicated wellbeing support via on-site or virtual counselling, on a short-term, drop-in, or ongoing basis, empowering employee-caregivers to access wellbeing support at a time and place that’s right for them, increasing their awareness of other wellbeing benefits through informed referrals (i.e., wellness coaching, mindfulness programmes), and enhancing their trust in their employers’ concern for their wellbeing.
• Balancy, a one-stop shop offering employee-caregivers easy, one-touch access to all their wellbeing resources, effectively overriding long-standing barriers to care such as time constraints and locational challenges to maximise utilisation and yield optimal results.

By implementing these solutions, employers ultimately equip employee-caregivers with the support they need to successfully navigate both their professional and caregiving roles—giving their all to both sets of responsibilities—whilst conserving more energy to put toward their own personal needs, aspirations, and endeavors. As research shows, employee-caregivers are 1.5 times more likely to be actively striving toward a promotion compared to their non-caregiving peers. This suggests that by providing employee-caregivers with the tools needed to effectively balance work-life demands, employers just might benefit from a more ambitious, innovative, and stronger workforce—one that could withstand the impending talent shortage that many are nevertheless expected to face in the coming years.