A ‘sandwich generation’ of stressed out caregivers is looking for employers that offer these benefits

By Azure GilmanDeputy Leadership Editor
Azure GilmanDeputy Leadership Editor

Azure Gilman is the former deputy editor for the Leadership desk at Fortune, assigning and editing stories about the workplace and the C-suite.

Emma BurleighBy Emma BurleighReporter, Success
Emma BurleighReporter, Success

    Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. Before joining the Success desk, she co-authored Fortune’s CHRO Daily newsletter, extensively covering the workplace and the future of jobs. Emma has also written for publications including the Observer and The China Project, publishing long-form stories on culture, entertainment, and geopolitics. She has a joint-master’s degree from New York University in Global Journalism and East Asian Studies.

    Mother is stressed with child.
    Caregivers are stressed and burnt out, and want these benefits from employers.
    Getty Images

    Good morning!

    Most workers are at least a little bit stressed out, but employees who are caregivers are in a league of their own

    As baby boomers age and millennials start families en masse, around 23% of adults find themselves in the “sandwich generation”—people who care for children while also caring for older adults. And there’s no denying it: These folks are frazzled

    While 35% of employees overall are concerned about feeling burned out, that number rises to a whopping 60% for people caring for both children and parents, according to a new report from Principal Financial, an investment management and insurance company. Around 45% of employees with no caregiving responsibilities are concerned about their mental health, but the same is true for 69% for employees in the sandwich generation. And more than 20% of sandwich generation employees have left a job because of the weight of their additional personal responsibilities, according to the report. 

    Because of their sky-high anxiety levels, employees in the sandwich generation place a huge amount of value in certain benefits—much more than other kinds of workers. 

    While 20% of non-caregiving employees find childcare and caregiving support “extremely valuable,” that number rises to 58% for the sandwich folks. Around 58% of the cohort want emergency savings programs, 64% want mental health and well-being programs, 71% want paid family and medical leave, and 76% want life insurance. 

    When it comes to the workplace overall the top three benefits considered “extremely valuable” are health care, retirement, and paid vacation days. But keeping an eye on the needs of caregivers is increasingly on the radar of HR departments across the country. And CHROs everywhere should take a hard look at their workforce, and see how they can help them with the burdens they carry every day.

    Azure Gilman
    azure.gilman@fortune.com

    Today’s edition was curated by Emma Burleigh.

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