Do Caregivers Work In Addition to Providing Care?
- 61% of caregivers work outside the home
- 61% say they have experienced a work-related impact
- 53% report being late, leaving early or needing accommodations with time off to deal with family matters
- 21% provide unpaid care (up from 18% in 2015)
- 10% need to stop working outside the home entirely or retire early
Does FMLA Really Provide Job Protection?
Most caregivers must work to pay the bills to care for their families. While the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) exists to allow them time off to take family members to appointments, the law does not require employers to pay them for time missed. Therefore, the loss in pay is a disincentive for the caregiver to take time off to follow through on medical appointments.
Though it is illegal to threaten someone who uses their Family Medical Leave Act rights when they take time off to care for their family, supervisors often subtly communicate their displeasure about the occurrence through body language, comments, bad assignments, and many other ways difficult to prove as harassment. Once regular use of the benefit begins, often it’s not long before “poor performance” becomes an issue, and the individual loses their job.
Anti-Discrimination Laws Do Not Apply to Caregivers
While anti-discrimination laws protect individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations, no such laws exist for their caregivers. The only time the law protects a caregiver from discrimination occurs is if someone states they are treating you particularly badly due to your association with someone who has a disability.