Dive Brief:
- A new Hawaii law provides workers caring for older friends or family members with up to $70 a day, Benefits Pro reports. The stipend is available to those who work at least 30 hours a week and also have caregiving responsibilities.
- The Kupuna Caregivers Assistance Act is now law, having gone into effect earlier this month. Citing a Quartz report, Benefits Pro says that "kupuna" is a Hawaiian word that means elder or grandparent.
- Hawaii recognized the growing number of workers in the "sandwich generation" — those with multiple caregiving responsibilities.
Dive Insight:
As people live longer, more workers will become part of the “sandwich generation.” Women, in particular, are often tasked with trying to hold down a job while raising children and caring for a parent, or parents, at the same time. Naturally, that expectation leads to decreased opportunities for women and caregivers in the workforce — one of many drivers of the diversity dilemma.
While the "kupuna" law is a state-provided benefit, employers can recognize caregivers’ struggles, and many are offering benefits to ease the strain. A third of the U.S. population reportedly cares for a family member, devoting about 20 hours a week to the task. A survey by Northeast Business Group on Health and AARP shows that caregiving is among the top 10 priorities for employee health and wellness benefits.
Caregiving benefits can be a competitive recruitment and retention tool to attract “sandwich generation” job seekers. Such benefits can include flexible work arrangements, onsite or subsidized child care and eldercare consultants. Providing paid time off could be another powerful benefit that serves as both retention tool and values signal.
