Is employee caregiving of family members
affecting your clients’ organizations?
By Adam Bezman
Most insurance professionals spend a lot of time helping clients prepare for risks they can see—property losses, liability exposures, workers compensation claims and cyber incidents, just to name a few. But some of the most significant risks facing employers today don’t appear on a profit and loss statement. The risk? Caregiving.
While employers continue to focus on attracting and retaining talent, many are overlooking the growing challenge of caregiving and how it affects employees throughout their organizations. Millions of Americans are balancing work responsibilities while simultaneously caring for aging parents, spouses, children with special needs and other loved ones.
The issue isn’t new. What has changed is the scale. As the population ages and care needs increase, caregiving is becoming a workforce challenge with serious business consequences. Yet many employers have little understanding of how many employees are affected or what the resulting impact may be on productivity, retention and workforce stability.
For insurance agents and brokers, that creates an opportunity to bring a different kind of conversation to the table.
Looking beyond traditional benefits discussions
Many employee benefits conversations follow a familiar pattern. I’m sure you can relate. Employers want to control healthcare costs, improve employee satisfaction and remain competitive in recruiting. You (the agent) respond by evaluating plan designs, contribution strategies and voluntary benefits offerings.
In many cases, employers are surprised to learn how widespread caregiving responsibilities are
within their workforce. They are equally surprised to discover that support resources may already
exist through … programs they have not fully explored.
Those discussions remain important. But increasingly, employers are looking for advisors who can help them identify emerging workforce risks before they become larger business problems. Caregiving is definitely one of those risks.
Employees serving as caregivers often spend hours each week coordinating medical appointments, researching care providers, managing medications, handling financial decisions and responding to unexpected health situations involving family members.
The effects frequently show up in the workplace through missed work, distractions, burnout and turnover. More than 56% of caregivers change their work hours or take time off to support caregiving. Beyond that, 16% take a leave of absence and 9% give up working entirely, according to the 2025 Caregiving in the U.S. report by the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Unfortunately, many employers don’t connect these outcomes to caregiving responsibilities. That’s where you can come in.
A simple question that changes the conversation
One question can often reveal whether caregiving is affecting an organization: “How many employees do you believe are currently serving as caregivers for a family member?” Most employers simply don’t know.
Yet national research suggests the number is likely much higher than people expect. According to a RAND study sponsored by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, more than 40% of Americans are caregivers to adults.
The question often opens the door to broader discussions around employee stress, workforce planning, retention challenges and benefit strategies. More importantly, it positions you, the agent, as someone helping identify business risks—not simply someone discussing insurance products.
Why caregiving support matters
When families encounter a caregiving situation, financial concerns are certainly important. But financial concerns are rarely the first challenge they face. The first challenge is usually figuring out what to do next.
Families need help finding providers, evaluating care options, understanding public programs, coordinating services and navigating unfamiliar healthcare systems. Without guidance, employees often spend significant amounts of “work time” trying to solve those problems on their own.
That’s why many employers are beginning to combine traditional insurance solutions related to care with resources that offer education, care navigation and financial protection. The goal is no longer just preparing employees for a future long-term care event. The goal is to combine that protection with help managing caregiving realities today.
Strengthening client relationships
For agents and brokers, caregiving discussions can create opportunities to deepen relationships with existing clients. Rather than focusing solely on annual renewals or plan design discussions, advisors can help employers think through broader workforce challenges and identify gaps they may not have previously considered.
In many cases, employers are surprised to learn how widespread caregiving responsibilities are within their workforce. They are equally surprised to discover that support resources may already exist through voluntary benefits, long-term care solutions or caregiving assistance programs they have not fully explored.
The big opportunity for advisors
The insurance industry has always evolved alongside emerging risks. Today’s employers face challenges that extend beyond traditional insurance concerns. Workforce resilience, employee well-being, retention, and productivity are increasingly interconnected. And caregiving sits at the center of many of those issues.
Agents who understand that connection and help clients address it will have opportunities to create more meaningful conversations, stronger client relationships and greater long-term value. Sometimes the most important risks aren’t the ones clients are asking about. They’re the ones they haven’t recognized yet.
The author
Adam Bezman is the Executive Director of Product and Innovation at Trustmark and holds the Certification in Long-Term Care (CLTCTM) professional designation.
