Supporting Working Carers: How Caring for Elderly Parents Is Impacting Your Workforce

In most organisations, there’s a growing group of employees quietly balancing their role at work with caring responsibilities at home.

They’re showing up to work, joining meetings, hitting deadlines… and then outside of that, they’re managing GP appointments, worrying about medication, fielding calls from carers, or quietly keeping an eye on a parent who isn’t quite as independent as they used to be.

And this isn’t a small or isolated group.

In the UK, there are around 5.8 million unpaid carers, with roughly 2.5 million of them balancing work alongside caring responsibilities. So in any mid-sized organisation, this is already part of your workforce reality. This is something we’re seeing more and more through the lens of the “sandwich generation” too - employees who are supporting ageing parents while still raising children of their own. For many, the pressure isn’t coming from one direction, but two.

For many employees, it doesn’t start with a clear label of “carer”. It builds gradually. A bit more support needed here and there. A few extra check-ins. Then, almost without noticing, it becomes something much bigger - something that takes up headspace, time, and emotional energy. Every. Single. Day.

And that’s the part that’s easy to miss.

Because from the outside, nothing dramatic has necessarily happened. But internally, the shift can be significant.

It’s the constant low-level worry. The mental load that never really switches off. The quiet pressure of trying to juggle it all.

Even for employees who are managing well on the surface, it’s a steady drain - and over time, that starts to show.

Research backs this up. Around 73% of working carers say they find it stressful to juggle work and care, and many are forced to adapt their working lives as a result - 44% reduce their hours, and a quarter step into more junior roles.

Not because they lack ambition or capability - but because something has to give. They can’t do it all.

From a leadership perspective, this is where the risk becomes clearer.

This isn’t just about wellbeing in the broad sense. It’s about productivity, retention, and the loss of experienced people who quietly scale back or step away altogether. In fact, millions have already done exactly that - *around 2.6 million people in the UK have left work to care for a loved one.

That’s a significant, ongoing talent drain - one that most organisations aren’t actively planning for.

What makes this more complex is that many employees won’t raise it themselves. Some don’t identify as carers. Others are concerned about how it might be perceived. So the impact often sits just below the surface - visible in performance shifts, absence patterns, or disengagement, but rarely fully understood.

This is where a more deliberate approach makes a measurable difference.

The organisations that are getting ahead of this aren’t just acknowledging the issue - they’re putting in place practical, structured support that reduces the load on their people.

Because what employees need in these situations is more than a simple wellbeing initiative. They need clarity, guidance, and someone who understands the system they’re trying to navigate.

That’s exactly where Grace Consulting comes in.

We work with employers, insurers and health benefit providers to support employees who are caring for elderly relatives - providing a layer of practical, expert-led advice that most organisations simply don’t have in-house.

That might mean helping an employee understand what care options are available, supporting them through difficult decisions, or giving them a consistent, confidential point of contact when things feel uncertain or overwhelming.

The impact of that is twofold.

For the individual, it reduces stress, frees up mind space, and makes day-to-day life more manageable.

For the organisation, it protects performance, improves retention, and supports employees to stay engaged at a time when they might otherwise step back - or out altogether.

And as the UK population continues to age, this isn’t a short-term consideration. The number of people taking on caring responsibilities is projected to grow significantly in the coming years.

Which means the question isn’t whether this is affecting your workforce.

It’s how well you’re set up to respond to it.

*Stats from Carers UK

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Supporting employees who are caring for elderly parents is becoming an essential part of any modern employee wellbeing strategy. As more people balance work with caring responsibilities, organisations are recognising the need for practical, specialist support that goes beyond traditional workplace benefits.

Grace Consulting works with employers, health insurers and employee benefit providers to deliver tailored support for working carers. Our services are designed to complement existing health insurance cover and wellbeing programmes - helping employees navigate care, reduce stress, and stay engaged at work.

If you’re reviewing your employee wellbeing support or looking to strengthen your health and wellbeing offering, we’d be happy to talk through how we can help.