Capital Club How Businesses Thrive and Grow in the Modern Age: Redefining the Caregiver Role, Challenges with Family Leave Policies, and Creating a Supportive Workplace with Sarah Johal
Brian Adams is joined by Sarah Johal, co-founder of Parents in Tech Alliance, who highlights the harsh realities caregivers face in the workplace. From discrimination to lack of support, we learn how 75% of the workforce provides care, yet leaders fail to track this untapped talent pool losing billions annually.
Sarah recounts her own painful story of demotion upon returning from maternity leave, fueling her advocacy today. A powerful exchange on how we can dismantle barriers for caregivers through education, policy change, and workforce measurement. At times uncomfortable but impossible to ignore, this episode challenges assumptions on how we value and support caregivers in America's "last place" work culture.
Key Highlights:
[00:00 - 05:48] - Defining and Understanding Caregivers
- Expansive definitions beyond just parents to anyone providing care
- 75% of US workforce are caregivers - largest untracked segment
- Rise of caregiver ERGs starting in civil rights era
[05:49 - 11:03] - The Business Case for Supporting Caregivers
- Increased retention, engagement, belonging
- US loses $35B annually from failing to support caregivers
- US ranks poorly compared to other countries
[11:04 - 18:58] - Best Practices in Caregiver Support
- Paid family leave, flexible scheduling, manager training
- Measuring caregiver status, gender-neutral policies
- Moving beyond compliance to build culture
[18:59 - 26:22] - The Challenges Caregivers Still Face
- Sarah's experience of bias as a new mother
- Leaders can be risk averse and waiting for compliance
[26:23 - 32:30] - How do we move forward?
- Work of “Parents in Tech Alliance” on education, advocacy
- Reasons for optimism like generational shifts
- Role of public policy on childcare affordability
Quotes:
"American working families deserve better than last place." - Sarah Johal
"Don’t wait to come up with an equitable parental leave policy until the first employee becomes pregnant.” - Sarah Johal
"Most leaders are much more risk averse than we thought. Most of them are not being moved until it is required of them." - Sarah Johal
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Connect with Sarah Johal!
Website: www.parentsintechalliance.org and www.sarahjohal.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johalsf/
Download our FREE Strategizing for Inflation Guide here: https://www.excelsiorgp.com/download/
Connect with me:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-c-adams/ (LinkedIn)
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