Beyond back-up care: Rethinking family care for today’s employees

by Julia Cohen Sebastien, CEO and Co-Founder of Grayce

Blended families. Single parent households. Multigenerational households. Single person households.  Today’s families come in varied and unique shapes and sizes. However, the outdated notion of a two-parent household with biological children still looms large in our collective imagination — and impacts everything from our social expectations to our workplace benefits.

Working Americans with families that don’t fit the traditional mold are often put in the position of trying to get help from systems that weren’t created with them in mind. Consequently, many don’t receive the assistance they need, leading to reduced work productivity or disengagement. In fact, 73% of employees also juggle caregiving duties at home, putting them at higher risk of leaving the workforce altogether.

To genuinely support today’s employees, it’s essential to understand and embrace the rich tapestry of modern family structures. Let’s begin by taking a closer look at what this diversity entails.

Changing family structures

Our family structures have undergone a profound transformation since the 1970s. Back then, more than two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 25 and 49 lived in so-called traditional nuclear family units, with a spouse and one or more children. Today, only about a third of Americans live in households structured this way. Instead, other living arrangements have become more common. For example, among 25- to 49-year-old Americans, 21% are married without children while 6% are raising kids solo.

The number of multigenerational households is on the rise too, with 18% of Americans living in such arrangements today. This means many American workers care for other adult family members. A remarkable 19% of adults, for example, serve as unpaid caregivers for elders. In fact, 23% of American adults are part of the sandwich generation, responsible for providing care to both young kids and aging parents. These data points highlight a substantial portion of Americans workers taking on a range of family care roles.

The growing strain on employee caregivers

At the same time, we are witnessing a growth in older populations; in fact, older people are projected to outnumber children by 2034. Alongside this we’ll also see a rise in chronic illnesses and conditions that require specialized care, such as cancer, dementia, and kidney disease. Mental health needs are escalating, especially among children and young adults, as are diagnoses of neurodivergent conditions, with 1 in 36 American children estimated to have autism spectrum disorder, for example.

Three out of four American workers already shoulder some form of caregiving responsibility. These health challenges introduce an added layer of intricacy to the caregiving landscape. Often, these responsibilities are complex; an employee may be raising children with special needs while simultaneously caring for a parent with dementia or balancing their own care needs. This kind of multifaceted caregiving role is emotionally taxing and time-consuming, placing an immense challenge on those involved.

Fewer community and social care resources

Unfortunately, today’s employees have not only greater individual caregiving responsibilities but also fewer community resources to draw from. For one, many Americans today don’t live near their relatives. As people increasingly move for work or personal reasons, families find themselves spread out geographically, making it harder to rely on traditional support systems. This can lead to feelings of isolation for caregivers, particularly when dealing with the logistical hurdles of long distances or confined living spaces.

Add to this strain the rising cost of healthcare and non-medical support services (such as care facilities, home-based senior care, and child care), as well as ongoing Medicaid disenrollments. Escalating expenses within the healthcare system place an extra burden on families, while a shortage of medical professionals pushes more family members to step into the role of primary caregivers at home, a care delivery model sometimes referred to as “hospital at home.”

Outdated approaches to family care

Employers have made efforts to bridge the caregiving gap by providing various benefits to employees such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), backup care services, and care provider support groups. However, despite their good intentions, the current approach to family care benefits falls short of adequately addressing the evolving needs of today’s families.

One significant shortcoming of existing family care benefits is their failure to comprehensively address the varied needs of diverse, modern families. The current approach to benefits typically covers only a portion of caregivers’ requirements, focusing primarily on childcare or senior care, while overlooking other essential aspects such as emotional support, financial and legal assistance, logistical coordination, and social determinants of health. Family care is often multidimensional—such as both the logistical and emotional needs after a woman experiences a miscarriage, or an employee with a father whose cognitive health is declining while she’s navigating a divorce at the same time. Limited family care coverage can leave employees like this grappling with unmet needs, contributing to feelings of stress and burnout.

Furthermore, beyond back-up care, support can often be difficult to access. Caregivers may encounter bureaucratic hurdles, lengthy approval processes, or a lack of user-friendly tools and resources. These challenges can create frustration and delay access to much-needed support, ultimately exacerbating caregiver burnout and increasing the risk of depression—as well as attrition and poor medical outcomes for both caregivers and care recipients alike.

A new definition of family care

Clearly, there’s an urgent need to redefine family care with an eye on how families are evolving and the world is changing. Employers have a significant role to play in this transformation. They need to offer benefits that truly address the needs of today’s diverse families, no matter their shape or size. These benefits should remove barriers to care, easing the challenges that caregivers face.

Our approach to family care needs a shake-up because modern families are more varied than ever. We must acknowledge different family structures, a wide range of caregiving needs, and evolving cultural and societal shifts. By doing this, we’re not just looking out for our employees’ well-being. We’re also boosting productivity and creating an inclusive and supportive workplace.

5 ways we must reshape family care

Modern families are far from uniform. They take many different sizes and structures, often with intricate and demanding care needs. A couple may care for an adult child on the autism spectrum, or a brother looks after his sister battling breast cancer. A single woman raising young kids might also be responsible for managing the affairs of her aging parents.

Balancing these complications and responsibilities represent an enormous challenge for employees today. That’s precisely why employee benefits for family care must evolve and adapt. Let’s look at the 5 key ways we must reshape family care to make it genuinely effective for modern families.

1. Family care must include all members of the family

One of the core problems with family care today is its outdated focus on the needs of children and seniors. The need for support, however, is far more expansive. Today, care recipients encompass a broad spectrum to include people in all stages of life. Moreover, caregiving extends beyond age, encompassing aspects such as illness and disabilities.

To work effectively for all families, family care today must evolve and be flexible enough to address a wider variety of scenarios. After all, an employee tasked with providing day-to-day care for a spouse who has undergone surgery isn’t going to be helped by a program intended to help with child care. This expanded scope of caregiving demands a more comprehensive approach that recognizes the diverse needs across different life stages and situations.

2. Family care must extend to the extended family

Too often, family care is narrowly tailored to encompass only parents and children. However, many employees may feel a closer bond or greater responsibility towards a sibling, an aunt, or a cousin. This expanded network may even include close friends and chosen family members, especially within LGBTQIA communities. In fact, 15% of caregivers care for a friend, neighbor, or another non-relative.

Acknowledging and providing support for these diverse caregiving relationships is crucial. It recognizes the existence of various family structures, ultimately fostering a more supportive and inclusive environment. By embracing the diversity in family configurations and caregiving dynamics, we can set the stage for more effective and relevant family care solutions.

3. Family care must foster local and global connections

Many families today are dispersed across various regions and even countries. It’s not uncommon, for example, for employees to serve as emergency contacts for parents residing in a different state. This physical separation presents unique challenges for caregivers who must navigate caregiving responsibilities from afar.

Fortunately, technology has emerged as a potent tool to bridge this geographical divide. Today’s family care strategies must harness the potential of technology to address these challenges effectively. Virtual platforms, telehealth services, and online support communities have emerged as invaluable resources for remote caregivers, offering the necessary support and assistance. Leveraging technology not only can alleviate the burdens faced by caregivers but also elevate the quality of care provided to their loved ones.

4. Family care must go beyond back-up care

In the past, family care often took the shape of back-up care, aimed at assisting employees in handling last-minute disruptions in their regular care arrangements. These benefits typically connected employees with temporary caregivers or childcare providers when an elderly parent or young child fell unexpectedly ill. However, many modern families need more than just temporary fixes. Now sustainable, consistent solutions are necessary as families contend with long-term situations, disabilities, and illnesses.

Furthermore, today’s care responsibilities encompass a broad spectrum of tasks. While physical care remains a critical component of caregiving, it represents only a fraction of the multifaceted responsibilities undertaken by caregivers, which include providing emotional support, handling administrative duties, and helping with financial and legal needs. Addressing these additional dimensions of caregiving is vital to delivering comprehensive support to employees with care responsibilities.

5. Family care must address DEI concerns

Family care is not just a matter of personal responsibility; it’s also a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issue. Studies reveal disparities in care based on race and ethnicity, for example, with Hispanic, Black, and Asian American dementia caregivers reporting greater care demands and less external help compared to caucasian caregivers. LGBTQIA caregivers also face unique challenges, including potential discrimination and mistreatment. Millennials, too, are increasingly taking on care roles while juggling their own careers, presenting unique challenges in managing both responsibilities.

These disparities can be further exacerbated in nontraditional families, including single-parent, single-person, or multigenerational households. It’s imperative to recognize that family care is a DEI issue and address inequities to ensure that all people with care duties receive the support they need.

The role of employers in family care

Employers have a crucial role to play in normalizing the issue of family care in employees’ lives. Open communication, peer support, and access to professional guidance are essential to destigmatize conversations around care. Fostering a culture of transparency and empathy in the workplace creates an environment where caregivers feel valued, supported, and understood, benefiting both employees and employers. We must embrace a comprehensive approach to family care that’s inclusive of all.

Additionally, recognizing the evolving landscape of family care is not merely a social responsibility but also a strategic concern for businesses and communities—supporting the well-being of our organizations and our employees also has substantive impacts on staying competitive in the hiring market, retention, productivity, and engagement.

Julia Cohen Sebastien is the CEO and Co-founder of Grayce. Follow her for the latest insights on how care is changing the future of work here.