1 Awareness & identification
Do you actually know who in your workforce is a caregiver? Most companies dramatically under-estimate.
1. We have asked employees, in the last 24 months, whether they are caring for an adult family member.
2. We track caregiver status as a self-identified employee population (like we do for veterans, working parents, etc.).
Self-identification is voluntary — the question is whether the field exists.
3. Our managers know how to recognize the signs of a caregiver employee under load (declining hours, more PTO clusters, slipping engagement).
2 Admin / coordination support
The most expensive layer of caregiving is administrative (~32% of hours). Most benefits stacks don't address this directly.
4. We offer a caregiving coordination / concierge benefit (someone the employee can hand off scheduling, records, referrals, paperwork to).
Not the same as an EAP, which provides counseling and referrals but not execution.
5. We offer backup adult care (similar to backup childcare benefits) for short-term needs.
6. Our Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA), if we have one, explicitly includes caregiving-coordination services in its eligible list.
3 Time off & flexibility
PTO and FMLA aren't built for the chronic, low-grade rhythm of adult caregiving. Specific carve-outs help.
7. We offer paid family leave (PFL) that explicitly covers caring for an adult family member — not just child bonding or own health.
8. Our managers have explicit authority to approve flexible / hybrid schedules for caregiver employees without escalation.
9. We offer a sabbatical, leave-of-absence, or career-pause option for employees in an acute caregiving phase.
4 Financial & tax tooling
Caregivers spend ~$7,200/year out of pocket on average (AARP 2021, inflation-adjusted). Tax-advantaged options help.
10. Our Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA) explicitly includes adult dependents (parent care), not just childcare.
DCFSA can cover adult dependents who meet the IRS qualifying-relative test — but plan documents often don't surface this.
11. We provide financial-planning guidance that addresses long-term-care costs (for the employee or their parent).
5 Communication, culture & HCE-specific support
Caregiving disproportionately affects mid-to-senior careers (and HCEs are the most likely to silently absorb it). Visible support matters.
12. Caregiving benefits are mentioned in our open-enrollment materials and our benefits portal, not just our policy handbook.
13. Senior leadership has publicly talked about caregiving as a workforce issue (town hall, letter, blog).
14. We have a caregiver ERG, peer group, or community channel.
15. We offer caregiving coordination support that is specifically positioned for executives, partners, or HCEs (e.g., a voluntary benefit at preferred pricing).
HCEs are statistically the population most likely to silently absorb caregiving and most expensive to lose — SHRM 2024.
Averyn Care
For HR / benefits leaders