April 4 - National Caregiver Day

Today, April 4^th, is National Caregiver Day!

About Caregivers in Ontario and Canada:

• 4 million people across Ontario are caregivers, with most between the ages of 24-64 (working age!)
• It’s estimated that 35% of the Canadian workforce are caregivers. And, 30% of these caregivers are considering leaving their job to take better care of the person they are supporting.
• 10% of all caregivers are turning down job opportunities because of their caregiving responsibilities.
• Caregiving responsibilities can impact people in many ways, including health, wellness, personal relationships, and work life balance.

We know that people who need time away from work regularly, including because of caregiving responsibilities, responded less favourably on all 3 of our HROD surveys. We have heard the need to support caregivers to fully participate in our organization and are considering this in our DEIJ, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and HR Strategies.

Some of the ways we can all support caregivers feel valued and included in our organization:

• Ask questions and seek to understand the needs of staff who are caregivers - they know their experiences best and their needs
• Build your own knowledge of the diverse needs of caregivers by proactively engaging in education about caregiving and the workplace
• Support flexible approaches to work, where possible: i.e. job sharing, split shifts, flex hours, etc.
• Recognize the valuable skills that caregivers have from unpaid responsibilities in formal job application processes
• Check in with colleagues who are caregivers - simple acts can make a big difference.

The Ontario Caregiver Organization provides supports for individuals who are caregivers and organizations wanting to be more inclusive of caregivers in the workplace Learn more at the Ontario Caregiver Organization website.