For more than six million working Canadians, caregiving isn’t just part of life — it’s part of the workday.
Yet despite juggling these responsibilities, most employees receive little to no formal support from their employers. That’s more than a third (35 per cent) of the workforce, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence.
The report, based on consultations with 18 employers and a survey of 1,000 working Canadians, sheds light on how deeply caregiving intersects with culture, community and work-life balance. It also calls for employers to standardize hybrid work policies, expand paid family leave and offer navigation tools to support employees managing care at home.
Read: How employers can support sandwich generation caregivers
Liv Mendelsohn, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, said caregiving is no longer optional for employers to address. “Caregiving touches every Canadian family, and employers can no longer afford to ignore it.”
For many, caregiving goes beyond immediate family. It’s caring for grandparents, extended relatives, even neighbours — while navigating language barriers and cultural expectations of duty and resilience.
Employers are slowly catching up. SE Health, where 43 per cent of staff are double-duty caregivers, launched the working caregiver community and a dependant care benefit. These programs offer peer support and access to personal support workers. “We wanted to create a space where caregivers didn’t feel alone,” says Matt Snyder, the employer’s chief human resources officer. “When people feel supported, it shows up in their work and well-being.”
Read: One in four Canadians taking on caregiving responsibilities: StatsCan
At Vancity Credit Union, caregiving supports are baked into its total rewards program, offering paid care leave, extended parental leave top-ups and flexible work options. “We see caregiving as part of life, not separate from work,” said Ivana Afonso, the company’s director of total rewards, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada.
Dayforce approaches caregiving as part of a broader well-being strategy, ensuring benefits meet employees where they are. “We design benefits that reflect our people’s backgrounds and life stages,” said Amy Biedenstein, the company’s senior vice-president of global total rewards, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada.
Frank Vena, vice-president of human resources services at Fidelity Canada, stresses there’s a bigger picture. “Supporting caregivers helps reduce burnout, promotes gender equity and builds a workplace where people feel safe bringing their whole selves to work.”
Read: 64% of ‘sandwich generation’ employees have experienced depression, anxiety: report