Roughly 1 in 4 U.S. employees are working caregivers, yet most organizations underestimate just how many caregivers are in their workforce and what it takes to support them effectively.
The result? Employees stay silent, managers react too late, and organizations absorb the cost in lost productivity and retention.
Stigma around caregiving still exists in the workplace. As a result, many employees keep their caregiving responsibilities hidden from their employers. When direct managers eventually become aware of their employees’ needs, they’re often left to navigate situations on a case-by-case basis, creating inconsistency and risk to their team’s productivity, engagement, and retention.
Supporting working caregivers goes beyond offering a benefit; it requires reshaping workplace culture and enabling managers to respond proactively and effectively.
In this article, we share key takeaways from our recent webinar with LifeLabs Learning, Supporting Caregivers Starts with HR Leaders, where we explored the cultural challenges of caregiving at work and how HR teams can train managers to support working caregivers on their teams with everyday needs and real-world complexities.
The hidden reality of caregiving at work
Most organizations recognize caregiving support as a key employee benefit, but there’s still a gap between that awareness and delivering consistent, day-to-day support. The root cause is a lack of structure in how organizations respond to caregiving needs.
Only about 8% of employees feel comfortable disclosing their care responsibilities to HR.
Why? Because 41% of working caregivers worry they’ll be seen as unreliable if they speak up.
Without a culture of psychological safety and structured support, employees are less likely to share the complex situations they’re navigating. As a result, caregiving needs remain hidden, forcing employees to manage those responsibilities alongside full-time work without visibility.
Organizations are then left to make decisions about caregiving support without a full view of how their workforce is impacted.
Without context or training to recognize the signs of caregiving stress, managers tend to respond only when issues arise, reacting to challenges rather than addressing them proactively. This delays the support employees need and increases risk to team productivity, engagement, and retention.
What managers can do to support working caregivers
Managers are often the first to recognize the need for caregiving support. When organizations handle caregiving on a case-by-case basis, the burden falls directly on managers without guidance for how to navigate those challenges.
Managers don’t need to become counselors or care coordinators to effectively support the working caregivers on their teams. Small shifts like normalizing caregiving conversations, responding thoughtfully, and connecting employees to the right resources can make a meaningful difference.
Create a safe space for conversation
Building psychological safety starts with recognizing that caregiving is part of your team’s reality and that employees can talk about it openly.
Bring caregiving into your day-to-day conversations by mentioning it in team settings and 1:1s, and by responding with empathy when it comes up. Every caregiving situation is different, shaped by personal circumstances, relationships, and needs, so it’s important to make space for that variability rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all experience.
Regular check-ins help build trust over time and reinforce that caregiving responsibilities won’t be seen as a lack of commitment.
When employees feel safe speaking up early, you can respond proactively before care-related challenges affect team performance or employee well-being.
Ask open-ended questions
When managers ask closed-ended questions, it can limit the conversation and put pressure on employees to have the “right” answer.
Instead, ask open-ended questions that give employees a safe space to share what would actually be helpful. This shifts the conversation from problem-solving to understanding so you can respond with support that aligns with their needs.
For example, instead of asking:
“Do you need to adjust your working hours?”
Try:
“What flexibility would make the biggest difference for you?”
What HR leaders can do to help
Supporting working caregivers requires more than changes in how managers lead. It relies on having the right structure in place to deliver ongoing, effective support and reduce the risk of disruptions at work.
You don’t need perfect data to recognize the caregivers on your team. Take a step back and look closely at your employees. Are any of them new parents? Do they have pets? Have they mentioned caring for both children and an aging parent?
Looking at the composition of your team can help you identify where caregiving is likely showing up and provide insight into patterns you may be seeing across leave requests, productivity, and retention.
Next, begin addressing stigma from the top down. Reinforce that caregiving is a workforce reality and proactively set expectations in leadership meetings and manager conversations for how to respond when challenges arise.
From there, begin to invest in manager capability. Provide training that teaches team leaders how to recognize caregiving signals, ask open-ended questions, and respond with empathy in the moment. Use role-playing scenarios and ongoing coaching to ensure these skills are effectively applied and remain consistent and proactive across teams.
Finally, help managers connect these conversations to real support. Equip team leaders with clear guidance on available resources, such as coaching or backup care, and how employees can access them, so they can confidently direct employees to the right support.
Deliver real caregiving support with Cariloop
Supporting working caregivers requires more than good intentions; it requires solutions that help employees take action.
Cariloop combines personalized guidance with access to care, helping employees move from overwhelm to action. Each employee is paired with a dedicated Care Coach for one-on-one support navigating everything from parental leave planning to childcare and eldercare decisions.
When care plans fall through, Cariloop’s Backup Care helps employees quickly find, book, and get reimbursed for care, reducing disruptions and avoiding last-minute time away from work.
With both guidance and care in place, employees spend less time navigating care on their own and more time focused on work. The result: stronger retention, improved productivity, and reduced absenteeism.
When organizations combine the right manager training with solutions that support real care needs, they can build a culture where employees don’t have to choose between work and caregiving.
Watch the Supporting Caregivers Starts with HR Leaders webinar for a deeper dive on building a supportive caregiving culture and training managers with practical, actionable strategies.