Heather Laing on The Second Full-Time Job Nobody at Work Knows You Have
Note sull'episodio
In this episode of Systems Check, host Naina Rana speaks with Heather Laing, founder and CEO of Complex Caregiver Solutions and a 20-year corporate HR executive. Heather opens up about navigating her own crisis—managing a major companywide reduction in force on the exact same day her 7-year-old son was admitted to a pediatric psychiatric unit.
Key Takeaways
The Invisible Workforce Crisis: Roughly 26.2% of U.S. children now have special healthcare needs, leaving 8–12% of the workforce acting as complex caregivers—often quietly burning out without disclosing their challenges to HR.
Why Standard Benefits Fail: Basic EAPs (typically capped at 3–6 sessions) and standard backup childcare networks are not designed to support families navigating pediatric psychiatric crises, severe ADHD, or autism accommodations.
The Cost of "Quiet Resignation": Caregivers rarely leave with dramatic exits; they experience presenteeism (losing 5–9 hours of productivity per week) before quietly resigning. A 5,000-person company can lose between $6.5M and $12.5M annually to caregiver-driven attrition.
Driving Systemic Change: Solving caregiver burnout requires systemic corporate evolution across four pillars: benefits design, clear policies, empathetic manager training, and robust ERG support.
Website: complexcaregiversolutions.com