And the Bottom Line
Caregiving isn’t just a passing phase or a niche issue—it’s something nearly all of us will face at some point. Whether it’s caring for an aging parent, a child with special needs, or a partner with a chronic illness, juggling work and caregiving is tough. It takes an emotional, physical, and financial toll.
For organizations in sectors like non-profits, education, healthcare, and social services—where retention and workforce shortages are already a challenge—ignoring the impact of caregiving only makes things worse. It leads to more turnover, higher absenteeism, and reduced productivity.
This is where you, as a benefits broker, can make a real difference. Many employers already have benefits that could support caregiving employees, but those resources are often underused or not positioned in a way that meets real-life needs. By helping your clients better align what they already offer with the realities of caregiving, you can help them strengthen retention, reduce financial stress, and improve job satisfaction—without requiring them to spend more on new programs.
1. From Policy Manager to Trusted Advisor
Your role as a broker isn’t just about managing benefits plans—it’s about helping employers see the bigger picture.
For caregiving employees, the challenge isn’t always a lack of benefits. It’s that those benefits feel out of reach or too complicated to navigate. HR teams may not realize they already have tools that could ease the burden, and employees are often too overwhelmed to go searching for support.
That’s where you step in. You can bridge the gap by making benefits easier to understand, helping clients communicate them effectively, and ensuring caregiving employees actually know what’s available to them.
And this isn’t about adding complexity. It’s about helping employers use what they already have—better.
2. Making Benefits Work in Real Life
Most benefits packages—health plans, retirement savings, wellness programs—look pretty similar across industries. What sets them apart is how they’re communicated and integrated into an employee’s daily reality.
By guiding employers to be more strategic, you can help them:
- Identify benefits employees may not realize they can use for caregiving support.
- Clearly communicate financial support options, time-off policies, and well-being resources.
- Make small but meaningful changes—like helping employees understand how to use their HSA for caregiving expenses or how to access financial counseling.
When benefits feel relevant and easy to use, they become a real support system rather than just another line item in an HR manual.
3. The Real Costs of Caregiving—For Everyone
Caregiving isn’t just a personal challenge—it has major financial and workplace implications.
- U.S. businesses lose $33.6 billion in productivity every year due to caregiving responsibilities (Harvard Business School).
- On average, caregivers spend 26% of their income on out-of-pocket care expenses.
- Employees with caregiving responsibilities are more likely to leave their jobs, increasing turnover costs.
Beyond the numbers, there’s the human toll—stress, burnout, disengagement. When companies support their caregiving employees, they’re not just protecting their bottom line; they’re building a stronger, more loyal workforce.
And the good news? They don’t have to create brand-new programs to do it. Small, strategic adjustments to benefits communication and accessibility can go a long way.
4. Making Benefits Easier to Understand—and Use
One of the biggest obstacles to benefits utilization? Confusion.
Employees often don’t realize what’s available, and HR teams are stretched thin managing compliance and administration. As a broker, you can make things easier by helping clients:
- Clearly explain benefit options so employees know where to turn when caregiving challenges arise.
- Equip HR teams with the knowledge they need to guide employees toward existing support systems.
- Make financial benefits more accessible—like ensuring employees understand how to temporarily adjust 401(k) contributions if needed.
When benefits are clear, they get used. And when they get used, employees feel supported.
5. Financial Tools That Caregivers Need
Caregiving often comes with unexpected costs, so financial flexibility is key. Many employees don’t realize how existing benefits—like HSAs and emergency savings accounts—can help.
Here’s where you can guide employers to highlight:
- HSAs as a flexible way to cover caregiving-related expenses, including medical costs for dependents.
- The ability to add dependents to an HSA outside of open enrollment, reducing out-of-pocket spending.
- Emergency savings accounts, which provide a safety net for caregiving-related expenses and help prevent early withdrawals from retirement savings.
By making sure employees understand these tools, employers can offer meaningful financial relief—without adding costly new programs.
6. Simple, Low-Cost Strategies That Make a Big Difference
Not every solution requires a major budget shift. Employers can do a lot with small, cost-effective adjustments, such as:
- Caregiving stipends – Even a modest stipend can help employees manage caregiving costs, reducing financial stress.
- 401(k) education & consulting – Many caregivers pause contributions or take hardship withdrawals without fully understanding the long-term impact. Offering education can help employees make better financial decisions.
- Financial counseling & credit support – Many EAPs already include credit counseling and debt management services, which can be invaluable for employees juggling caregiving costs.
These aren’t big, flashy benefits—but they’re impactful. And when employees feel supported, they stay.
Conclusion: Strengthen Relationships by Offering Real Solutions
Your clients count on you for more than just benefits recommendations. They rely on you for strategic guidance that improves employee well-being and retention.
As caregiving responsibilities continue to grow, companies that ignore this reality risk losing experienced talent and increasing costs. But with your help, they can take simple, strategic steps to make their benefits work better for caregiving employees.
When you help clients connect their benefits strategy to real employee needs, you reinforce your role as a trusted advisor. And ultimately, that creates a more engaged, productive, and loyal workforce—a win for employees, for organizations, and for you.
