Creating More Caring Places - Carewise Solutions

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeannette Galvanek, Founder & CEO of CareWise Solutions, located in Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA.

What's your organization, and who are your members?

CareWise Solutions is an educational non-profit organization supporting employees exhausted by caregiving demands. We participate in strategy development, ensuring families receive active living and the care they deserve. We upgrade employer workforce plans so employees can care for and stay employed. Over 40% of employees carry this burden, costing employers an estimated 5% of annual revenue. Our customers are mainly employers, although we offer educational materials for caregivers.

The CareWise™ Solutions niche is the unoccupied territory where the needs of Employers and the needs of Employee-Caregivers intersect. By occupying this space, CareWise™ Solutions is equipping organizations to adapt to the changing workforce dynamics and secure and retain talent to protect them from the internal and external forces impacting operations, sustainability, and profitability.

Tell us about yourself

I have 25 years of experience as the single mom of two daughters with developmental disabilities (ethnic minorities) and ten years of aging care management for my parents. My career at AT&T was exciting, advancing from a college graduate in an entry job to a senior executive position. As most citizens in the United States know, the three decades from the late 1970s – 2000 was a major disruptive period in telecommunications. The government mandate was a driver for dismantling the largest corporation in the world and impacted one million employees. The emerging multi-media enterprise emerged and is still undergoing transformation.

My role changed regularly as I was one of the first 30 people from the “traditional Bell System” to participate in the building phase for many “pieces” of the new AT&T, including the invention of the AT&T computer business, consumer products, and business solutions systems. I had the honor as lead Human Resources and Training Executive to transform the esteemed Bell Labs into a consumer-focused, not just research-oriented, world resource. My leadership skills were applied to the Office of the Chairman of AT&T to reintroduce the upgraded human and organization strategies to attract, develop, and retain a new workforce in a changed employment condition. I was the point executive for four major business acquisitions and divestitures. Two were hostile in nature.

I started my own business because I saw how challenging it is to maintain employment while caring for aging loved ones and family members with disabilities. As an HR executive, I am keenly aware of what companies can do to support employees to counteract the current trend as more in-home healthcare increases employee-caregiver responsibilities and stress. To rebuild a stable workforce, employers must implement caregiver-friendly policies beyond leaves of absence and using vacation time to take aging parents to medical appointments.

What's your biggest accomplishment as an organization?

My biggest accomplishment is acceptance as a thought leader in the caregiving space, especially considering the massive trends disrupting workforce stability. Covid-19 highlighted the instability for many, but I have been recognized as a leader in workforce development for over a decade.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being an organization?

I am astonished by how many in the caregiving industry simply don’t get it until I talk with them directly. Our aging society is impacting the business world in catastrophic ways not seen for over a century. Yet employers turn a blind eye, imagining that this 30-year trend will suddenly be over now that Covid lockdowns are a thing of the past. Otherwise, the most challenging thing is probably the life-work balance. There is something to do every minute of the day to get this message out.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow an organization today?

1. Develop partnerships early – Find individuals and companies that align with your vision and find ways to work together as soon as possible.
2. Consider working with remote freelancers – Do a skill gap analysis on your own skillset and hire contract workers or freelancers to fill those gaps. You don’t need to do everything alone, and you don’t need to hire employees. People across the globe are available to help.
3. Publish – Develop credibility in your field by publishing books, articles, blogs, and newsletters. The world is full of ways to publish your work. Take advantage of those opportunities to showcase your skills.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://carewisesolutions.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeCareWise/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carewisesolutions/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeCareWise
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becarewise

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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