The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald Research today announced the launch of Caregiving at Work, a national, multiyear initiative designed to examine how family caregiving is affecting workers, employers and the employee benefits system. Building on EBRI’s ongoing collaboration with Greenwald Research, the initiative will run through 2027 and combine new survey research, employer-focused resources and events to help organizations better understand and respond to caregiving-related pressures across the U.S. workforce. Caregiving at Work examines how caregiving shapes workers’ experiences with workplace benefits — and what it takes to keep caregivers connected to work.
As millions of Americans balance jobs with responsibilities such as caring for aging parents, spouses, children with disabilities and other loved ones, caregiving is increasingly shaping workplace experiences, benefit needs, financial decision making and long-term retirement security. Yet despite its growing impact, caregiving often remains insufficiently measured in employer strategy and benefits planning.
At a time when employers are facing growing workforce and benefits pressures tied to caregiving, the initiative is intended to provide timely national research and practical guidance on one of the most significant but often undermeasured issues affecting employees today.
The Caregiving at Work initiative is designed to help close that gap by producing more robust data on how caregiving intersects with employment, health coverage, financial well-being and retirement preparedness, while also creating opportunities for employers and other stakeholders to turn research findings into practical action.
“Caregiving affects workers across income levels, occupations and life stages, and it often influences benefit choices, financial trade-offs and long-term retirement outcomes,” said Bridget Bearden, EBRI’s director of member growth and partnerships. “This initiative is intended to help quantify those effects and provide practical, research-based insights that employers and policymakers can use.”
At the center of the initiative is expanded caregiver-focused research produced through EBRI-Greenwald survey platforms. That work will include dedicated oversamples of caregivers, allowing deeper analysis of how caregiving responsibilities influence benefit use, household financial pressures, health care decision making, and retirement readiness.
“We’re delighted to help bring together a coalition of industry leaders committed to better understanding caregivers’ needs and advancing services and solutions that can support them,” said Lisa Weber-Raley, chief research officer and head of healthcare insights at Greenwald Research.
The initiative includes sponsorship opportunities connected to three flagship EBRI-Greenwald Surveys: the Retirement Confidence Survey, the Workplace Wellness Survey, and the Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey. Together, those surveys will generate a broader and more detailed picture of how caregiving affects workers’ lives and the role employee benefits can play in supporting them.
Organizations supporting the initiative will have opportunities to stay closely connected to the research, access findings and data, and be recognized for their role in advancing understanding of caregiving in the workplace. Founding partners include Bright Horizons, CareScout, Voya Financial, and Wellthy. The Caregiving at Work team expects to announce additional participating organizations as the initiative expands.
In addition to research, the initiative will feature events and educational programming designed to encourage informed dialogue and practical application across the caregiving, aging, health and benefits landscape. Planned activities include two in-person forums, one in fall 2026 and another in spring 2027; three webinars timed to key stages of the initiative; and a dedicated digital platform featuring employer-facing resources, research highlights and event information.
The national initiative is expected to inform employers, policymakers, benefit providers, researchers and advocates seeking to better understand caregiving’s effect on workforce participation, employee stress, benefit engagement, and financial security.
deeper analysis of how Ne carw egivi s Frng r om The Em esponsibilities ployee Be influence nefit Resear benech fit use, Instit househo ute ld financial pressures, health care decision making, and retirem ent readiness. New National Initiative Examines How Caregiving Is Reshaping the Workplace, Employee Benefits “We’re delighted to help bring tog and ether Long a c-oalition Term Financ of indus ial S tecu ry leader rity s committed to better understanding caregivers’ needs and advancing ser vices and solutions that can support them,” said Lisa W EBRI a eber nd Gr -Raeen ley, ch wal ie d f r Resear esearc ch h officer a launch “Car nd hea egiving d of healthc at Work” arin e in itia sigh tive w ts aith t Gr ne een w w car ald R egiv eer sear -foc ch. used research, employer resources and events through 2027 The initiative includes sponsorship opportunities connected to three flagship EBRI-Greenwald Sur For imme veys: tdia he R te r etir elea emen se: t Confidence June 2, 2026 Survey, the Workplace Wellness Survey, and the Consumer Eng Conag tac eme t: Ron Dr nt in Health Ca esner, dres re Su ner@ebri.or rvey. Togg e ther, those surveys will generate a broader and more detailed picture of how caregiving affects workers’ lives and the role employee benefits can play in W supporti ASHINGT ng them. ON, D. C. – The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald Research today announced the launch of Caregiving at Work, a national, multiyear initiative designed to Or examine h ganizations sup ow famil po y rting the caregiving is a initiaff tiv ecti e w ng w ill ha ork ve op ers, portun emploities yers a to s nd the tay clo emplo sely c y onnec ee bene ted t fits o the system. Building o research, ac n EBR cess fin I’s ong dings and oing collabor data, a ation nd be r with Gr ecogn ee izn ed f wald R or their r esearo ch, the le in adv initia anci tiv ng u e wil nder l run th standing of rough 2027 an caregiving in d combine n the wore kpl w ac sur e. F vey ounding research, par emplo tners y in er c- lude Brigh focused re t Horiz sources a ons, Ca nd ev reSc enout, ts to help Voya Financial, and W organiz ellt atih ons bett y. The Car er egiving a understat nd a Work t nd ream espo e nd t xpect o cs t aregiving o announ -rela ce ted pr additio ess nal partic ures acros ipa s the U ting .S. w ororkf ganor izace. tions as Caregiving the initia at W tiv ork e e expan xamines ds. how caregiving shapes workers’ experiences with workplace benefits — and what it takes to keep caregivers connected to work. In addition to research, the initiative will feature events and educational programming designed to enc As millions ourage in of Americ formed di ans bala alogue a nce j nd pr obac s wit tical app h responsi licatibili on ac ties suc ross t h as c he car arin egivi g fng or ag , agin ing g par , health a ents, snd pouses, childr benefits en with landsc dia sa pe. P bilities a lanned ac nd ottivities her lovin ed clones, c ude twar o i e n giving is in -person focr rums, one easingly shaping in fall 202 workplac 6 and anot e her in spring 202 experiences, bene 7; three w fit ebinar needs, fina s timed t ncial dec o key s ision tag es of the in making and lo itiati ng ve; and a -term reti dedic remen ated t se di curi gital p ty. Y la etf t des orm pite its fea gr turing owing impact, c employer-fac aregiving ing resour oftces, r en rem esear ains ins ch hig uffic hligh ien ts an tly me d e asur vene t inf d in orma emplo tioy n. er s trategy and bene fits planning. The national initiative is expected to inform employers, policymakers, benefit providers, researchers A and adv t a time w ocat hen emp es seeking loyt er o be s ar tt e f er under acing gr so tand c wing w aro egivi rkfor ng ce ’s e and bene ffect on w fits ork prfessur orce es tie participa d to c tio ar n, egiving, emplo the initia yee s tive is in tress, ben tended t efit eng o pag rovide timel ement, any na d fina tional ncial sec resear uri ch a ty. nd practical guidance on one of the most significant but often undermeasured issues affecting employees today. Gr eenwald Research is a leading research consulting firm specializing in retirement, employee bene The Ca fits, a regivi nd hea ng at W lthc ork initia are for ov tiv er 40 y e is design ears. T ed t he firm has o help close th work ae t d with gap by pr leading no oducing mo nprofit re r obust data on ho organiz w ac ti ar ons, egiving in financial ter sects w services c ith em ompan ploymen ies and ins t, health c urance ovc er ompanies o age, financn r ialesear well-ch bein to suppor g and ret tirement pr car eegiv paredn ers.ess, while For more in also cr forma ea tio ting oppo n, visit w rtun wwities f .green ow r emplo aldresear yers ch.c and other om. stakeholders to turn r esearch findings into practical action. The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a nonprofit, independent unbiased research organization “Ca that regiving provides objec affects w tiv ork e in er for s ac ma ross inc tion on om critic e leal issues r vels, occupa elatio ted t ns o emp and lif loy e see bene tages, and it fit progr often in ams in the fluences bene United St fit ch aoices, fi tes. The or nancial tr ganizaade tion -off also c s and oor long dina -t term r es activities f etiremen or t t out he Cen comes ter ,” for R said Brid esearg ch on Hea et Bearden, lth EBR Bene I’s dir fits In ect no or of vatio membe n, the Financi r growth a al Wnd p ellbeing artner Resear shipsc . “ h Cen This initia ter and the R tive is inetir tended t emeno help q t Securituan y Re tif sear y ch those e Center an ffed pr cts a od nd pr uces a ovide p varie rty of leading actical, resear indus ch-base try s d ur inv se igh ys eac ts thh y at em ear. F plo or mor yers and e inpo forma licymak tion, vi ers c sit an use. ebri.or ” g. At the center of the initiative is expanded caregiv # er # -focused r esearch produced through EBRI- Greenwald survey platforms. That work will include dedicated oversamples of caregivers, allowing