The squeezed middle, the pillars of the organisation, supporting family, funding children through uni, whilst looking after care needs of older relatives. All this and no favours from the economy, a long recession and lack of pay increases that’s left them with little financial slack.
The jury’s still out as to whether the UK is of is not out of recession, as public austerity and emergency economic policies remain are still with us, and the holes this creates are having to be filled by mid-to-high earners. They are the employees who thought they’d ‘made it’, had built some financial solid ground under their feet, but can now only feel the cracks. There’s no let up for the long term either, as the squeezed middle is going to have to work longer with retirement age put back indefinitely, in order to fund the unprecedented demands on them. Given the value of this suffering middle group to employers, the extent to which they’ve taken the strain during periods of change, cutbacks and limited salary increases, there’s an important role for employee benefits that reflect the situation, the zeitgeist of new pressures and limitations. What’s needed is smarter packages of benefits that demonstrate a sensitivity to the angst of these core employees, often the middle and senior managers, who may no longer be as financially (or psychologically) as comfortable as they once were. A holistic approach, not piecemeal. A key example of a complex, physically and emotionally draining issue for this group is eldercare. Ninety percent of working carers are in their 30s and 40s, usually the peak years of their careers, and with the situation around the UK’s ageing population, more people are going to have to become carers for their parents and elderly relatives. Research by the King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust published in September 2016 claimed that the ‘rationing’ of state-funded care for the elderly had to led to 25 percent cuts in provision by councils. Employees having to give up work to become full-time carers costs UK employers £1.3 billion a year, according to the Carers Trust. Given budget constraints, the NHS and social care services aren’t able in any practical way to be the support service for families. Already, 40 percent of nurses’ time is said to be spent on dealing with calls from family to wards to check on progress; GPs and hospitals struggle with the cost of missed appointments from patients who may not have support networks around them. The system is broken.
The everyday reality of caring for older relatives is a mixture of isolation in terms of feeling unsupported by any professional services, and family wrangling over who’s looking after who, who’s going to live where, what ongoing healthcare is needed and who’s paying – often leading to disputes, crises and money wasted on kneejerk responses like rushing people into expensive care homes. In such circumstances there can be serious implications for both finances and health. Carers providing regular and high levels of care are at a 23 percent higher risk of a stroke; they are also more likely to need to use all their savings, re-mortgage their house or downsize to help fund care services, says the Carers Trust. Despite the severity of the issues and potential impact on staff, there is a hole in terms of benefits offerings. A study by the Institute for Public Policy Research showed that only nine percent of employers offered anything around eldercare in rewards packages. One basic option is to offer subsidised health insurance for older family members, the type of insurance which can normally be prohibitively expensive. On a more practical and day-to-day level, staff want to be free from the uncertainty, the constant potential for a crisis of care. Imperial College is one example of an employer that offers emergency care – for elderly or for children – for when staff can’t get away.
Technology is beginning to provide other forms of reassurance and means of re-gaining and keeping control. Take start-up company Tutella, which supports the creation of wider support networks through use of a free app. The company has been created by health entrepreneur and advisor to the NHS on clinical innovation Paul Gaudin. The private social network app is the basis of rallying and organising family and neighbourly support – who’s going to do what when, how can we help each other? – as well as linking its members with professional advice and knowledge when it’s needed. Networks can then access a professional 24/7 video GP support service via digital devices, and expert advice on property and funding, finances, legal issues, patient support. Leadership institute Roffey Park offers its staff who are carers the opportunity to take a respite weekend. Support around financial wellbeing from employers is often tentative. It’s usually restricted to workplace pension offerings, pensions in general, in some cases schemes to help with day-to-day budgeting. The squeezed middle need more sophistication than this. They are more likely to have more complex financial assets in terms of property and investments, and more complex costs and needs in terms of planning – whether that’s supporting children through Higher Education or helping them onto the property ladder, the eldercare issue, or trying to ensure they’re in a position to retire at a reasonable age without heavy financial burdens. Online financial education content and tools aren’t enough, and neither is the EAP offering. There’s a need for specialist support and advice on planning, personal, specific and face-to-face.
Support on health is particularly important because people who spend so much time focused on looking after others are more likely to neglect their own wellbeing when they leave the office. Members of the squeezed middle are increasingly likely to be part of the older workforce themselves, perhaps working past the usual retirement age, and facing up to questions of energy and motivation. Wellbeing benefits are fundamental for building resilience. Anything you can bring into the workplace and make more accessible during working hours is good – but benefits and schemes need to be tailored, not the generic kinds of offerings that put the onus on the individual, another duty or guilt-inducing situation – like discounts on gym membership or lunchtime Zumba classes. Free or subsidised provision of annual health screenings, for example, is the kind of benefit that takes away a worry, that provides reassurance and straightforward, factual guidance on wellbeing. Something that’s monitored and under control. Telehealth – providing video access to healthcare professionals and health data, using apps like the new Babylon app – is being seen by employers as one way of cutting absence and the time taken by employees over hospital and other routine appointments. But it’s also a useful time-saving approach for staff themselves, who don’t want or have time to sit in traffic and waiting rooms. Employers can help simply by promoting the option and providing the IT and a telehealth space for private conversations.
The obvious benefit of most general value is flexible working. The problem with the flex offer is that while it might be compulsory to consider requests, there continues to be a work culture where anything other than full-time working is perceived to be less committed, less responsible and less of a contribution. Organisations need to be able to point to a clear policy not just on the availability of flexible working as a principle, but also what’s expected in terms of attitude and understanding to flex-workers from employees at all levels. Squeezed middle angst needs more of a forum. Given their seniority, years of experience and sense of themselves as the strongest links at home and work, there’s an issue of their reluctance to be open about the personal strains they are under, the isolation that can come with being a carer in particular. An employer can help in the background by carrying out research into the needs of this group in more detail, and their specific needs in terms of flexible working and other more concrete benefits. All in all, the squeezed middle is the stalwart of society, they don’t complain, they just get on with their lot, but in doing so, they give the impression that they’re OK, they’re doing alright and don’t need your help. Clearly that isn’t always the case.
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