Just Beyond the Front Door

There is a version of an employee caregiver the workplace sees.
And there is the version that lives just beyond the front door of their home.

 

Let’s talk about what happens inside that home.

 

Maybe there is a hired caregiver who comes while the employee goes to work.

Or maybe not.

 

Maybe that employee is arranging transportation to adult day care before 8 AM and praying nothing goes wrong.

 

Emergency room visits can happen anytime. Somehow they prefer after midnight.

 

 

Then a new medication is prescribed. No expected side effects. Except your loved one falls into the one percent who reacts.

 

Now you are down to three hours.

You finally collapse into bed.

 

Your name is called.
Then called again.
And again, louder this time.

 

A diaper exploded. The sheets are soaked.

 

Your elderly parent is crying. They tried to climb out of bed before you reached them.

 

Now their legs are tangled in the bed rail.
The release will not budge.

 

It is 4 AM.

 

Thank God your five-year-old is at a sleepover with their best friend.

 

By 5 AM you are calming combative behavior.

 

At 6 AM your alarm goes off.

 

Now you must decide.

Do you call in sick?

 

Or do you brace for another battle, wake them up, and push through your normal schedule?

 

And then that employee opens the laptop and logs into work.

 

That employee leads the team meeting.
Answers the emails.
Smiles on Zoom.

 

We commend their productivity.

We praise their reliability.

 

But sometimes it is simply survival.

 

 

When we understand what logs on to work each morning with each employee, we lead differently.

 

 

If this conversation belongs inside your organization, it may be time to bring it forward.

 

More to come.

Chef Maria