By Mirco Magi, Clinical Lead at Onebright
Marriage, birth, illness, job loss, moving house, and death are all expected and unanticipated events in life. We are expected by society to be able to handle everything. But for many people, this is not easy and something will have to give.
We tend to do our best to get through the day, juggle our job from 9-5, take our children to school and maintain our relationships. If we don’t tailor solutions to our specific problems, then we will likely end up feeling stressed, anxious and worried.
The’sandwich’ generation is no exception. The sandwich generation is a unique group of people who are responsible for raising children and caring for elderly parents or loved ones. This group, which includes approximately 1.3 million British citizens, is on the rise.
Understanding the challenges facing the “sandwich Generation”
The delicate balance can be thrown off by a school closing, an emergency with a client or a parent who is ill. It’s obvious that juggling the needs of two generations can be emotionally and physically draining. Mental health can be affected by the constant worry of providing care to both children and aging parents.
A juxtaposition between external obligations, and internal ambitions adds an additional layer of complexity. This highlights the importance of creating structures and opportunities that will help them to overcome challenges, and to realise their personal goals and potential.
UK law gives employers a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees. Line managers and employers should be aware of the needs of their employees, and recognize when they are not working as hard as usual.
There is evidence that family-friendly work practices and organisational support for parents can help improve coping and the subsequent outcomes of a job.
If you are an employer with a member of the “sandwich-generation”
When they are fully supported, those in the “sandwich” generation can be at the peak of their careers and bring immense value to a workforce.
Managers and leaders of businesses will play an important role in shaping the culture of a company that values their employees and recognizes the extra responsibilities these individuals may have outside the office by:
Create an atmosphere of open and honest communications
Encourage everyone to seek help when they need it
Mental health resources and sign-posting
Modelling healthy boundaries
Showing vulnerability
Sharing and talking about the challenges and difficulties of caring for others can ease some of the burden. It will also lead to better support and understanding. It all starts with the leadership team, who should lead by example.
A mental health audit can help you identify the issues that your employees face and what support they need.
You can provide training to senior leaders and managers so that they can identify early warning signs of mental conditions such as depression and anxiety, stress and worry. This can help them navigate conversations and develop strategies to foster a compassionate corporate culture.
When employees are faced with impossible responsibilities, they are more likely to be affected. This is especially true for those who put a lot of pressure on themselves. Managers must pay attention to employees who use words like “should”, “must”, or “I feel I have to”, in order to identify the most vulnerable and preempt crises, both in terms of employee wellbeing and organisational interests.
We work with EAPs or PMIs in order to provide mental healthcare therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to their members. Many of these are parents, sandwich generation, and other professionals seeking support outside their organization. We can also provide support to spouses and children who need mental health treatment and diagnosis but cannot get it from their GP, school, or work.
The first time this post appeared was on HR News.
