“If we don’t address the real issues our workforce is facing, then gender and age equality is doomed – but nearly half of all women over 40 are juggling work and caring for a loved one, and the support is not there to keep them in work.”
Stephanie Leung, co-founder and CEO of KareHero – an employee benefit that supports family caregivers – believes we’re in the midst of an adult care crisis, and that the impact on businesses is already showing.
In a world where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are gaining momentum, caregivers are a crucial group that remains largely overlooked. But as the workforce ages and more employees find themselves juggling work with caring responsibilities, it's becoming increasingly clear that caregivers deserve a place at the DEI table. So what can organisations do to support this often invisible demographic?
“This isn’t just a nice-to-have,” explains Stephanie, a former DEI co-chair at Uber. “DEI should include carers if we’re serious about creating a truly inclusive workplace. It’s not a niche issue – it’s an integral part of the human experience that touches employees across all demographics. By making caregivers part of the DEI conversation, industries can create a more equitable future for everyone, ensuring that no one is left behind due to their responsibilities at home.”
The scale of the issue
Carers UK estimates that there are about 10.6 million unpaid carers in the UK and approximately 7.7 million of those are also holding down a job – that’s one in five employees.
The scale of the issue is further emphasised by the fact that 2.1 million employees in the UK become new carers every year, primarily for elderly loved ones – but also for partners, adult children, other family or friends. There are now more people caring for adult dependants than child dependants. However, is there a forum in the workplace to voice those experiences and find the right support in the same way as there is for childcare?
“The experience is littered with small wins and many losses, and grieving,” Stephanie explains. Compassion fatigue is a common issue that affects family caregivers. “You want to be a good person, you want to have an identity outside of just being a carer, and you want to smile at your loved one every day, but she's been spitting food at you and doesn't recognise you half the time…”
The hidden nature of caregiving
In many cases, caregivers feel isolated, with few colleagues aware of their dual responsibilities. Stephanie notes that employees who are caregivers often “don’t talk about it at work because they’re worried that you won’t understand what they’re going through”.
This silence is often born from fear that sharing their struggles may impact career growth or suggest a lack of commitment. The very nature of adult caregiving makes it hard to normalise in the workplace, unlike milestones such as parental leave, which receive institutional support and understanding. “It’s a very quiet, isolating, dark journey,” Stephanie notes. “You don’t get to share your story around the water cooler.
“Carers are the most under-the-radar group. It’s lumped in with ‘family’, and if you have a family care Employee Resource Group (ERG) or a family ERG, it’s normally 99% skewed towards new or expecting parents.”
This invisibility can lead to a lack of support and understanding in the workplace. “You may be caring for someone who will slowly deteriorate over time, and that journey can be long and painful,” Stephanie adds, and there’s rarely bespoke support measures in place.
The economic impact on businesses
The economic implications of caregiving are significant. Stephanie cites research from Carers UK that estimates a cost to UK companies of £8.1 billion per annum due to absenteeism, and lost productivity and turnover.
The toll of caregiving on individuals is significant. “Many carers are stressed and even depressed, but they haven't had time to get diagnosed,” she says. This aligns with further data from Carers UK, which found that 60% of carers report a long-term health condition or disability compared to 50% of non-carers.
Caregiving can also lead to social isolation, with over a quarter of carers (29%) often or always feeling lonely. This emotional and physical toll can significantly impact a caregiver’s performance at work and their overall wellbeing.
“If you want retention, if you want people to stay in work – and actually one of the biggest sectors we see is blue-collar workers, such as train drivers, engineers and people working in utilities, who have been in their industries for 20 years and are hard to replace – then you need to recognise and support those who are looking after loved ones.”
The figures underscore the business case for addressing caregiving as part of the DEI agenda. Moreover, the value of unpaid care to the UK economy is staggering. According to Carers UK, unpaid carers in England and Wales contribute £445 million to the economy every day – that's £162 billion a year. This contribution is equivalent to a second NHS in England and Wales, which in 2020/21 received an estimated £164 billion in funding.
Caregiving and DEI: gender dimensions
Census 2021 data shows that 59% of unpaid carers are women. "Women are four times more likely to quit or go part-time if they come into a caring role,” says Stephanie. This disparity in caregiving responsibilities contributes to wider issues of gender equality in the workplace. “Unfortunately, it’s still mostly women who are burdened by care needs.”
Lack of support for caregivers is a contributing factor in maintaining gender inequality in your workforce. The 2024 Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey & Company found that women remain underrepresented at every level of corporate America, with the gap widening at higher levels. For every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager, only 81 women are promoted.
Progress has been particularly slow at CEO level. As of 2024, there were only 10 female CEOs in the FTSE 100, representing just 10% of these top positions. This figure has barely changed in recent years, highlighting the persistent challenges women face in reaching the highest corporate leadership roles.
But what’s the role of caregiving in these statistics? According to a Harvard Business School report, more than 73% of employees have some form of current caregiving responsibility. But women are disproportionately affected, being 5 to 8 times more likely than men to have their employment impacted by caregiver responsibilities.
This data underscores the importance of including caregivers in DEI conversations, as caregiving responsibilities disproportionately affect women and can significantly impact career advancement.
Caregivers and age discrimination
Age is another critical factor. Stephanie highlights the fact that “the bulk of the workforce are going to be aged over 40 in the next couple of decades”. According to Census 2021 data, the highest percentage of unpaid carers are people aged 55-59, with over half a million people in this age group providing care.
“We are heading into a workforce that’s going to be significantly older. Also, the pension age is going up, which means that people are going to have to stay in work, or want to stay in work, for longer,” adds Stephanie.
Including caregivers in DEI initiatives is crucial for addressing age discrimination in the workplace, particularly in the UK. According to the Centre for Ageing Better, more than half of adults over 50 in England have experienced age discrimination in the past year, with 37% of respondents in their 50s and 60s reporting that it occurred most frequently in the workplace. This is particularly relevant for caregivers, as the peak age for caring often coincides with the peak of an individual’s career.
Furthermore, women have a 50:50 chance of providing care by age 46, while men reach this likelihood 11 years later, at age 57. Many of these women will be ‘sandwich carers’, with children to look after as well. This gender disparity in caregiving responsibilities can exacerbate age discrimination, as older women may face compounded challenges in the workplace. By recognising caregiving as a key aspect of DEI, employers can create more inclusive policies that support older workers, particularly those with caregiving responsibilities, thereby mitigating age discrimination and retaining valuable, experienced employees.
Legal and policy developments
Recent legal developments in the UK underscore the growing recognition of caregiving as an important workplace issue. The Carer’s Leave Act, which came into force in April 2024, gives carers new rights and provides a foundation for employers to build more supportive policies. Stephanie also notes that there’s a push for caregiving to become a protected characteristic, which would further cement its place in DEI conversations.
There’s also the Flexible Working Act, which gives employees the right to flexible working from day one of a new job, and the Employment Rights Bill, which strengthens those rights – and although flexible working in itself won’t meet caregivers’ needs, it’s an important component of what’s required.
Stephanie offers several recommendations for employers looking to support caregivers:
- Recognise caregiving as a DEI issue: “If we are serious about DEI, we need to understand that being a carer isn't something that’s in transition or passing. It is an identity.”
- Conduct surveys to identify caregivers: “You could, for example, run a survey or a diagnostic tool to try and understand who might be a carer in your organisation.” Recognise that as it’s a relatively new “issue” for the sandwich generation, many don’t recognise the labels “carer” or “caregiver”. But anyone checking in on a loved one, from shopping to administering care, is on that journey.
- Establish caregiver networks: “You can help set up a carer’s network that’s separate from a new family or a young parent network.” The conversations are very different, nuanced, and deserving of their own group. From the grief experienced to the mental load of associated logistics – caregiving deserves its own support groups. KareHero offers free support for all organisations looking to set up a carer’s support group.
- Train managers to recognise caregiving challenges: “Train staff to understand the triggers. If someone’s taken two weeks off for a health emergency, it might be because they’ve gone to hospital to look after a loved one.”
- Implement and promote caregiver-friendly policies: Many HR teams have updated their policies for carers, but is it being implemented and are people aware of it? The Carer’s Leave Act is relatively new, and many may not understand the nuances of its application. You can find out more about the Carer’s Leave Act, and read our round-table discussion of going from policy to practice.
- Create caregiver allies: “We have mental health first aiders, but are there ways to create carer allies within your organisation so that people don’t feel stigmatised talking about it?” Family care support groups are often skewed towards childcare – it’s important to create specific groups for those caring for adult loved ones.
- Provide comprehensive and specialist support: “As an employee benefit solution, KareHero is unique in its offering, supporting people through every stage of their care journey: practical, hands-on help to access untapped funding, provide care assessments, and advice to reduce the chaos of care.” The result is people stay engaged, and in work.
As the workforce continues to age and more employees find themselves in caregiving roles, it's clear that caregivers need to be part of the DEI conversation. By recognising and supporting caregivers, employers can not only improve the lives of their employees but also benefit from increased retention, productivity, and a more inclusive workplace culture.
"Supporting carers in the workplace is good for business... It creates better inclusion from a DEI perspective and it helps unlock productivity if you can tap into and support people with what they need,” says Stephanie.
“As we move forward, it's crucial for organisations to recognise caregiving as a key DEI issue and to take proactive steps to support their caregiving employees. By doing so, they can create more inclusive, productive, and resilient workplaces that are better equipped to face the challenges of the future.”
To find out more about KareHero and how it’s supporting over a million families juggling work and adult caregiving, visit www.karehero.com
