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In this episode of The JoyPowered® Workspace Podcast, hosts JoDee Curtis and Susan White take on a topic that touches more employees than many leaders realize: caregiving. Whether employees are caring for young children, aging parents, loved ones with disabilities, or family members facing serious health conditions, caregiving responsibilities don’t stop when the workday begins.

JoDee and Susan explore the real impact caregiving has on employees’ well-being, performance, and engagement, and why organizations can no longer afford to treat it as a “personal issue.” They share practical, compassionate ways employers can support caregivers while reinforcing why empathy at work is both the right thing to do and a smart business decision. The episode also features an in-depth conversation with Glenna Hecht, speaker, author, and leadership consultant, who brings powerful personal insight from her own caregiving journey.

Key Takeaways

• Caregiving is more common than many leaders think. A significant portion of the workforce is balancing paid work with unpaid caregiving responsibilities—often quietly.
• Flexibility makes a meaningful difference. Flexible schedules and remote work options help caregivers manage ongoing responsibilities and unexpected emergencies without sacrificing productivity.
• Support goes beyond time off. Access to mental health resources, employee assistance programs, financial support, and caregiver-focused employee resource groups (ERGs) can reduce burnout and isolation.
• Managers play a critical role. Frontline leaders are often the first to notice when caregiving pressures show up at work, and how they respond can either build trust or push employees away.
• Compassion drives loyalty. Employees remember whether their organization showed understanding during one of the most stressful seasons of their lives.

Quote of the Episode

“If you were to look up the impact of caregiving and work, the dollar impact is extraordinary. It’s estimated between $13 billion to $33 billion a year, the average being about $5,600 an employee who’s dealing with it.” – Glenna Hecht

Mentioned in this episode

• Purple Ink
• Susan Tinder White Consulting
• How Employers Can Support Employees Who Are Caregivers – WebMD Health Services, February 2026
• Humanistic Consulting
• How Old Are You Today: A Mother, a Daughter, and the Game that Transformed Their Lives by Glenna Hecht
• Glenna’s QR code link – leave a review, connect directly with Glenna, and get a freebie about the rules of the game and the five rules Glenna’s mom lived by
• Remote.co Survey Finds 62% of U.S. Workers Feel Financially Insecure in Their Current Job – Remote.co, March 2026
• SHRM credit evaluation – the SHRM credit code for this episode will expire on May 18, 2027
• JoyPowered® Patreon page
• JoyPowered® on LinkedIn
• JoyPowered® on Instagram
• Email JoyPowered®