As we continue to navigate the changing landscape presented by the COVID-19 crisis, employees and employers alike are encountering even more challenges as we head into open enrollment season. With historic disruptions to both personal and professional arenas, workforces are turning to their employers for solutions.
In fact, according to a recent Prudential Financial survey, 75% of respondents agreed that due to the pandemic they feel that access to benefits through an employer is now more important than ever before. The survey also found that 72% agreed that a strong benefits package is a big part why they stay at their job and 52% agreed if better benefits were offered they’d be willing to take a chance on a new job right now.
While many organizations are still working remotely, others are figuring out how to work safely in office environments. The pandemic is poised to make this school year as challenging, if not more so, than last school year. Financial impacts from COVID-19 are adding to employee stress, that was already a top concern among workforces nationwide.
Finding solutions for these arising situations can be tough as employees are being forced to make novel decisions that have never been faced before. Now more than ever, offering employee benefit programs to support employees is key to helping them navigate their responsibilities and challenges during this time. While a lot is changing, this support is a constant that employees can rely on.
At LifeCare we’re seeing firsthand what many of the needs are during these trying times. While each member’s situation is unique, here’s just a small sample of some of the requests our members have reached out with and how we’re helping them.
- When he learned his son’s daycare was going to remain closed until December, or possibly longer, a member called looking for assistance with finding child care for this school year. He was considering various care options, but indicated he’d prefer to have a caregiver come to their home as he didn’t feel comfortable sending his son to a center during this time. After calling over one hundred providers in the area, we were able to confirm several suitable care providers for the member with availability.
- A member needed help finding COVID-19 testing that could be done quickly. She needed to have their children return to their daycare provider, who was requiring a confirmed negative test result before they could return. While all rapid COVID-19 testing conducted in this member’s area was reserved for medical personnel, we were able to locate three medical providers that could conduct COVID-19 testing for the children.
- After her grandmother that resides in an assisted living facility tested positive for COVID-19, a member became concerned about the staffing at the facility declining care as her grandmother needs 24/7 hands-on care. She called asking for help finding a private nurse or home care agency that would care for a COVID-19 positive patient in an assisted living facility. We were able to find her two home care agencies that had availability and could provide care in the facility. We also referred the member to a local public advocate to look into the facility’s plan of care for COVID-19 positive residents.
- Unsure about the upcoming plan for the school year, a member called for help finding distance learning resources. The school had presented several different learning plans, but nothing had been officially decided and she was beginning to worry. She wanted to know what options were available for in-home care that could help with school work. We were able to find her four agencies that have caregivers available to assist going into the new school year.
- When her regular child care center closed due to COVID-19, a member called in to use her backup care benefit for her two-year-old child so she could get to work. She wanted to use a personal caregiver and, after discussing her needs, we confirmed that we had all the details needed to complete the requested backup care reimbursement, answered all her questions, processed the request and emailed a confirmation of receipt.
- After a member and her husband tested positive for COVID-19 and needed to be quarantined, they called looking for help finding someone that could come to their home and administer a COVID -19 test for her elderly mother. She had looked on her own but could only find testing sites that required them to test on site and they weren’t able to leave the house. We were able to quickly find an agency in the area that could immediately perform the COVID-19 test in their home.
As you can tell from just these handful of stories, our workforce is being challenged in ways we’ve never seen. While we can’t completely do away with our members’ struggles surrounding COVID-19, we’re glad we can help wherever we can. LifeCare’s services are uniquely positioned to support employees and the challenges they’re facing right now. To learn more about programs that support your employees, contact us or call us at (866) 675-3751.