Informal care

One in four employees, in addition to work, also takes care of sick family members or friends. This is unpaid, often long-term care - and it requires a lot of mental and physical energy. For many carers this amounts to a double burden: they try to do their job well while they are used up at home due to a shortage of time and energy. The result is predictable: stress, exhaustion, absenteeism, and in the worst case, dropout from the labor process.

Yet this is not an inevitable reality. Employers who take informal care seriously - both through policy and through individual support - are demonstrably seeing less overload, higher productivity and better staff retention. Moreover, organizations with more than 250 employees have been obliged since 2024 to establish a sustainable policy in which informal care is given a place. But smaller organizations also benefit greatly from targeted attention to informal caregivers - it prevents absenteeism, increases loyalty and makes you more attractive in the tight labor market.

Radvance

• Policy advice and organizational design - Advice on setting up informal care policy suitable for your organization (flexibility, leave, workplace adaptation)
• Training and communication - Training of HR and managers on recognition of informal caregivers and sensitive guidance
• Signalling and intake - Identification of employees providing informal care and determination of their support needs
• Individual guidance - Coaching and practical support for informal caregivers who get stuck: how to create balance, where to find ressourcing (respiet care, volunteers, professionals)

Finalization and benefits
For your employees who provide informal care, this means space and support: recognition of their situation, practical help and guidance in a difficult balance. This does not help them to exhaust and to sustain their work better. For your organization, this is an investment with a clear return: less absenteeism, more involvement, better staff retention and reputation advantage. You show that you see and support employees throughout their lives - not just at work. This is good for people as well as your bottom line.