Caregivers in the Workplace

More than 3.5 million workers in Canada are also caregivers

(Source: Canadian Social Survey, Statistics Canada, 2022)

Workers provide care for people in their lives for many reasons: injuries, disabilities, aging parents, chronic illnesses.

How employers can help

• Offer flexible work arrangements like remote or hybrid work, job sharing, or a compressed work week
• Coach managers to support caregiving employees
• Promote a culture of openness so workers feel comfortable disclosing their caregiving responsibilities
• Review practices and policies to support caregiving employees
• Expand the organization's definition of family for paid leave or employee benefits
• Ensure employee workloads are balanced
• Widely share information on available caregiving supports

Benefits of supporting caregivers

• Increased employee loyalty, lower turnover
• Improved morale and teamwork
• Reduced stress for employees who are also caregivers
• Less disruption from unplanned absences
• A more compassionate environment

45% caregivers find balancing work and care challenging

40% caregivers take unplanned time off

Over 50% working caregivers are women providing more than 20 hours of care per week

(Source: Carers Canada, 2022)