Initiative looks at how caregiving impacts workplace benefits

About 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. are unpaid caregivers to a family member or friend, and about 7 in 10 of those caregivers are in the workforce.

This means that about 44 million people are juggling caregiving duties with paid employment.

Caregiving is reshaping the workplace, employee benefits and long-term financial security. The Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research launched a national initiative called Caregiving at Work. This initiative will examine how family caregiving affects workers, employers and workplace benefits.

The initiative will run through 2027. It will combine new survey research, resources and events to help employers and organizations better understand and respond to the pressures that caregiving imposes across the workforce. Caregiving at Work will examine how caregiving shapes workers’ experiences with their employee benefits, and what it takes to keep those caregivers connected to their work.

Bridget Bearden, EBRI’s director of member growth and partnership, told InsuranceNewsNet that the inspiration behind Caregiving at Work is the merging of demographic forces, policy forces and market forces that highlight the need to support caregivers in the workforce.

“We know that there is a lack of a cohesive federal system to support caregivers and care recipients,” she said. “We know that the demographic trends of increasing longevity and a declining direct care workforce are adding additional pressures to the system. At the same time, we know that there are emerging market solutions in terms of benefit programs, so all these factors are converging.”

Bearden said that one purpose of Caregiving at Work is “to have a dialogue across different stakeholders that influence employee benefit design and the programs that are available to employees.

“We’re not talking about only the benefits providers. We want to have employers and also retirement service providers at the table, because long-term care is a critical component and consideration for retirement. We want to have a dialogue about how caregiving impacts the workplace and how it should impact benefit design as we advance.”

Research on caregiving benefits' ROI

Caregiving at Work will also include two types of research, she said.

In the first, EBRI will take its annual Retirement Confidence Survey, Workplace Wellness Survey and Consumer Engagement Healthcare Survey and include research pertaining to caregiving in each survey.

In addition, EBRI and Greenwald will conduct a data analysis and produce new research on the return on investment of caregiving benefits.

“It’s not only about how these benefits help improve the employer’s bottom line but how they help improve the employee’s sense of confidence and productivity in the workplace,” Bearden said.

The initiative will conclude in 2027 with the publication of the research findings and recommendations.

In addition to research, the initiative will feature events and educational programming designed to encourage informed dialogue and practical application across the caregiving, aging, health and benefits landscape. Planned activities include two in-person forums, one in fall 2026 and another in spring 2027; three webinars timed to key stages of the initiative; and a dedicated digital platform featuring employer-facing resources, research highlights and event information.

The national initiative is expected to inform employers, policymakers, benefit providers, researchers and advocates seeking to better understand caregiving’s effect on workforce participation, employee stress, benefit engagement and financial security.

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