Should employers care about family caregivers? They should, and not only during November – National Family Caregivers Month – a time to recognize and honor family caregivers, to raise awareness about the issues they face, especially those who work, and to advocate for resources to promote their health and well-being.

Supporting family caregivers has become a year-round strategic imperative for every organization designed for long-term competitive success. Not just an expense, caregiving benefits can generate a significant return on investment for employers by attracting and retaining talent, reducing turnover, engendering loyalty, and enhancing productivity and morale.

First Lady Rosalynn Carter famously said “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. This who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”

The First Lady understood the magnitude of the caregiving challenge, and the organization she founded, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, is an important source of information for employers.

53 million caregivers in the U.S. are providing unpaid care to a family member, according to a 2020 report by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. That number is nearly 10 million more than just five years earlier. Sixty percent of those caregivers are also holding down jobs, and about half provide care for someone aged 75 or older.

The average caregiver spends about 24 hours per week providing care, but one in four spend more than 40 hours per week on caregiving duties. Nearly a quarter report their own health as fair or poor, with high levels of stress and anxiety.

Family caregivers come from every socioeconomic group and every part of America. The financial and emotional challenges are greater for low-income caregivers and those from underserved communities, of course. But even wealthy caregivers experience the strains. Actor Bradley Cooper, co-producing a major PBS documentary on caregiving that is slated to premiere in 2025, speaks of the overwhelming experience of caring for his own sick father.

In work environments, more and more employees find difficulty balancing job responsibilities and caring, not only for children, but for aging parents, spouses, and other family members. The stresses of care duties can negatively affect employee performance and elevate the prospect of burnout, absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover.

A survey included in “The Caring Company,” a 2023 Harvard Business School report, found that three out of four employees surveyed had caregiving responsibilities that often undermined their productivity at work.

Addressing the realities of caregiving workers has emerged as a challenge that employers can no longer ignore. Support programs can reduce healthcare costs associated with the mental and physical challenges of caregiving employees, and investment in these programs is smart business. A recent Harvard Business Review article makes the case that caregiver employees bring unique value to their employers.

With an aging population, America’s caregiving needs will rapidly grow. By 2030, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to reach 73 million, up from 56 million in 2020, according to US. Census Bureau data. By 2034, the U.S. will have more people over age 65 than under 18. Aging, together with historically low birthrates and immigration constraints, is already leading to workforce shortages and a war for talent.

Skilled workers are in limited supply and employers need to stand out in a competitive environment. Employee recruitment is increasingly dependent on benefit policies that accommodate family caregiving needs. Retention is an escalating problem in the tight labor market.

Older adults are now the fastest-growing age group in the workforce. Evidence confirms that older workers offer wisdom, loyalty, and intergenerational benefits, and employers have increasing reason to attract and retain experienced talent. But caregiving can have a profound impact on the many older workers who are juggling care responsibilities for parents, spouses and even grandchildren.

Older workers with caregiving demands face higher risk of emotional distress and burnout, health challenges, and crippling financial pressures. Their employers are at risk of turnover, skill gaps, and loss of institutional knowledge and mentorship.

According to AARP, 32% of caregivers have to retire early or quit their jobs because of caregiving responsibilities. As they plan for their future workforce, employers must adapt to the demographic realities. Fostering an environment that supports older caregivers and mitigates the risk of losing the benefits that older workers provide will differentiate employers in a competitive marketplace and should be top of mind.

Women are longer-lived than men and increasingly outperform men in academic environments. They now account for more than half of the college-educated labor force in the U.S. according to Pew Research Center and they are likely the most significant human capital resource of the future. Yet women continue to bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities.

Of the more than 11 million Americans providing unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, approximately two thirds are women, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Caregiving burdens too frequently serve as barriers to the advancement of women and lead to attrition and the loss of productive and valuable talent.  Employers simply cannot afford to have women torn between work and family demands, and accommodating their caregiving needs will be more critical than ever in the years to come.

About a quarter of U.S. adults are part of the “sandwich generation” with a parent age 65 or older and a child younger than 18, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center Survey. Sandwich generation caregivers generally span ages 35 to 64, including Gen Z and millennial caregivers, and are more likely than other caregivers to be working while performing caregiving responsibilities, according to AARP research. An October 2024 Wall Street Journal article discussed their health, financial, and time burdens. In their years of peak productivity, this is a group that employers can ill afford to lose.

With the effectiveness of their workforces at risk from caregiving burdens, what can employers do to elevate care-friendly practices? One set of solutions will not fit all, and a range of possibilities should be considered.

Employers can offer flexible work arrangements, including work from home and hybrid models, flexible days and hours, part-time positions, and job-sharing opportunities. Paid caregiving leave, beyond maternity and paternity to include caregiving for other family members, will be more prevalent in the future, as will unpaid or partially paid sabbaticals and phased return to work policies for those needing more time away. Transitional retirements can enable older workers to deal with care responsibilities at home while retaining their knowledge and experience for the benefit of employers and younger colleagues.

Childcare and eldercare stipends and subsidies can be considered as can provision of on-site services and contracted partnership arrangements with service providers for the benefit of caregiving employees. Education and assistance programs can promote care literacy and offer research, counseling, stress management, and referrals to resources in health, law, accounting and other professional services. Assistance with financial planning is a need for many family caregivers, as is advice on and access to long term care insurance, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and other mechanisms to manage the current and future cost of care.

Support and affinity groups can reduce isolation and loneliness and offer employees the opportunity to share their experiences. Emerging technology solutions, including caregiving platforms and apps, virtual services and telemedicine can helpful to caregiving employees.

At least as important as any other solution, education and training programs for leaders, managers and HR professionals can foster a care aware environment, one that encourages openness, reduces stigma, and maximizes the potential of every caregiving employee. As it is with so many priorities, the embrace of a care-friendly culture starts at the top.

The stakes are high, but the opportunities are compelling. Organizations that tackle the caregiving challenge can attract and retain exceptional talent, boost performance and productivity, develop a reputation for family support that will resonate with workers and customers alike, and build a competitive edge for the future. 

Should employers care about family caregivers? The obvious answer is yes.

Paul Irving is a member of the WorkingNation Advisory Board and a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology