Working Family Caregivers Say Post-Pandemic Return to the Office Is Fraught With Concern

"We hear family caregivers who worked weren't comfortable telling a manager they help someone,” says Stephen. “During the pandemic it became more normal to talk about caring for a loved one. [There was] greater acceptance among employers and more awareness about caregiving."

The July online panel and phone survey of 800 adult caregivers nationally shows that caregivers who must return to in-person work are experiencing myriad concerns, from the guilt and fear of leaving their loved ones unattended, to the fear of contracting the coronavirus at work and potentially bringing home the virus and infecting the person for whom they care.

Among the report's key findings about working family caregiver concerns:

• Stress levels are alarming. Some 8 in 10 caregivers say the pandemic has increased their overall level of stress. After all, some 6 in 10 caregivers say that they are hourly workers, which typically makes it more difficult for many of them to work from home. Almost 7 in 10 caregivers say their job is “essential."

• Responsibilities are growing. Two-thirds of caregivers expressed concern that they will have trouble juggling their responsibilities in the next 12 months. Some 75 percent say they are worried about managing dual responsibilities once they return to the office. And 20 percent say they expect “great difficulty” in managing their responsibilities.

• Workplace flexibility is critical. More than half of caregivers say they received flexible schedules — and were able to work from home at least part-time — since the pandemic. And more than 4 in 10 say they would consider looking for a new job if their employer rolls back these benefits.

• Fear of exposure is relentless. Working caregivers are very concerned about exposing the person they care for to the coronavirus or leaving them home unattended while they go to work.

The report comes even as COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are evolving. The CDC now recommends that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with high COVID transmissions. This updated guidance comes ahead of the fall, when the delta variant is expected to cause another surge in new coronavirus cases and many large employers plan to bring workers back to the office.

Ask about any new caregiving benefits

For caregivers, says AARP's Stephen, the pandemic was a dual-edged sword, because even as it spread so much disease and mayhem, it also allowed many caregivers to work from home with their loved ones. Now, with many caregivers returning to the workplace, “They have to go back to the way things used to be, with all the juggling and navigating of caregiving."

Stephen suggests that family caregivers who return to the workplace should take the time to sit down with their managers and talk through what works for them. He says it's worth asking if there are caregiving benefits the employer now offers that might not have been available before COVID-19 or if there is a way to have more flexibility so you can better respond to competing demands.

Meanwhile, Sklansky has options, too. He knows that if he must return to his Monday-through-Friday part-time work schedule at his Hollywood Bowl office, he also can return to doing the caregiving for his parents on weekends instead of weekdays.

But in the meantime, he's fearful that the growing delta variant could close many of the same offices that are starting to open — including his own.

"No one knows,” he says. In either case, he is comforted that he has a clear family caregiving plan in place should the virus raise its ugly head again.