They have today announced a collaboration on Lifeed Caregivers - a digital training program allowing companies to harness the potential learning from employees who care for a relative. 

By bringing together complementary skills, expertise and intelligence, they have been able to bring a new product to market that will help create a culture of care within an organisation. This has particular importance in light of COVID-19, with workforces facing increased stress while working remotely and it being more important than ever for businesses to ensure employees feel cared for and valued.

Previous research has estimated nearly 8 million people in the UK provide care for family members without pay, and recent estimates show that COVID-19 has forced an extra 4.5 million people to add to this figure.

Many people juggle work with these demands, and looking after a family member, child, partner, older adult, or disabled relative or friend can help develop soft interpersonal skills that are invaluable in the workplace.

Studies have found that the vast majority of caregivers get positive effects like greater self esteem and feeling useful, and the Lifeed Caregivers program unlocks the specific soft skills nurtured through doing this - such as stress management, patience, and self-confidence, and applies them to the workplace. 

Available now to UK businesses, the Lifeed Caregivers program takes place through a web app, and includes online training modules, real life missions, webinars, and a diary, with 30 minutes per week recommended over 3 months, with a maximum of 12 months to complete the program. It focuses on relationships with others, personal development, and self-direction, in order to harness the skills developed through the care experience and apply them at work. 

Harnessing skills developed through caring

Riccarda Zezza, CEO and Founder of Lifeed commented: “We are thrilled to have partnered with the wonderful NICA team, who have lent their world-leading expertise in human experience to help us perfect our Lifeed Caregivers program. We’re excited to help build a culture of care within British businesses, particularly in light of the current situation which has brought out the caring instincts in all of us. Our life experiences make us who we are, and by embracing them into our working life, we can develop and grow in all aspects of our lives.”

Based at Newcastle University and located on Newcastle Helix, NICA is the UK home of Ageing Intelligence™, bringing together data driven insight and human experiences to bring new products, business models and services to market. This is just one example of how they are helping businesses to capitalise on the longevity economy, turn ideas into commercial opportunities and maximise their impact on society.

Professor Nicola Palmarini, Director of the UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing said: “We strongly believe in the core idea of Lifeed, where the experiences of life of each one of us – like caring about a family member or dealing with a crisis - can be translated in practical skills for personal and professional growth. Our mission at NICA is to harness the intelligence of people through engagement and data, this is what we call Ageing Intelligence^TM.

“This new digital platform will help businesses to harness new skills, gather meaningful insights and create a sense of community in the workplace. It can also help shape policy and provides huge potential for the growth and personal development of employees whatever their stage of life. On top of this, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to support the endemic lack of carers, in the UK alone there is an expected need for 580,000 additional social care workers by 2035. 

“We have been successfully building and operating our thriving and successful citizen engagement network named VOICE for over 10 years and together with Lifeed we are bringing a concrete example of how this issue can be addressed.  We are using digital and data in a novel way, while leveraging a true collaborative interaction between employers and employees to understand the needs and empower each other in a joint play to benefit both the work-life balance of the individuals and the needs of an ageing society.” 

Lifeed offers a selection of digital training programs to workplaces based on the value of key life transitions, like becoming a parent, and the skills they develop in employees, and to-date has been chosen by over 14,000 people and 80 international organisations. Alongside their existing Lifeed Caregivers and Lifeed New Parents programs, the EdTech company have also recently released Lifeed Transitions, to help nurture the unique skills developed during a crisis. 

 Pricing is tailored to each company’s specific needs and more information can be found on the Lifeed website.