Workplace Support for Family Caregivers
Summary
Family caregivers—employees who provide unpaid care for children, older adults or relatives with chronic or terminal conditions—navigate complex demands that span work and home. The dual role can undermine physical and mental health, reduce productivity and increase turnover. Effective workplace support encompasses flexible working arrangements, paid leave options, backup care services, counselling and a caregiver-inclusive culture. Globally, as populations age and long-term care needs rise, employers and policymakers are recognising that supporting caregiver-employees promotes retention, reduces absenteeism and enhances wellbeing. Integrative strategies linking human resources, healthcare providers and social services have emerged, emphasising tailored leave schemes, manager training and peer networks. Practical examples include bereavement and compassionate leave, subsidised caregiving resources and phased return-to-work plans, illustrating how coordinated efforts can bridge care and employment obligations without compromising organisational resilience.
Research from Nature Portfolio
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Workplace Support for Family Caregivers publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in workplace support for family caregivers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Caregiver-friendly workplace policies (CFWPs): Employer-led measures such as flexible hours, paid leave and care-service access designed to support employees with informal caregiving duties.
Work-family conflict: A form of role conflict in which demands from work and home spheres are mutually incompatible, leading to stress and reduced performance.
Long-term care (LTC): A spectrum of medical and personal support services for individuals who require assistance with daily living activities over extended periods, often delivered by family members.
Work-family enrichment: The process by which experiences in one domain (work or family) enhance quality of life or functioning in the other domain.
References
- Availability of caregiver-friendly workplace policies: an international scoping review follow-up study. International Journal of Workplace Health Management (2021).
- International Comparison of Social Support Policies on Long-Term Care in Workplaces in Aging Societies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022).
- Combining paid work and family care for a patient at the end of life at home: insights from a qualitative study among caregivers in the Netherlands. BMC Palliative Care (2021).
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