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Support Employees Caring for Their Ageing Parents

Empower your team with expert-backed resources from Carents.co.uk to help them manage caring for elderly parents and work responsibilities

A smiling woman wearing a headset types on a keyboard in a bright office. A representation of working carers balancing employment with caring responsibilities and understanding workplace rights, flexible working, and carer support policies.

Why Employers Should Prioritise Carent Support

A growing number of employees are balancing demanding careers with caring for ageing parents. These workers, or carents as we call them, face emotional, financial, and logistical pressures that directly affect productivity, wellbeing, and long-term retention.

Despite these challenges, many carents are reluctant to come forward and often navigate their responsibilities in silence. However, it's important to recognise that approximately 10% of the working population are providing informal care. This significant portion of the workforce underscores the need for employers to proactively support carents, fostering a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment.

Download the 2025 Carents in the Workplace Report

Our new report explores how employers are supporting employees who care for ageing loved ones, backed by exclusive data and personal insights from over 1,000 carents.

Download now
Infographic that says 70% of carents have made significant changes to their careers due to caring responsibilities

Hidden Costs for Organisations

Our latest survey of over 1,000 carents with direct experience of caring for older relatives found:

  • 21% left work earlier than planned

  • 22% changed roles to something more flexible or less demanding 

  • 27% reduced their working hours

These challenges create hidden costs for organisations. But they also present an opportunity for forward-thinking employers to lead with empathy, flexibility, and inclusion.

Download the full report

The Impact of Staff Loss on Employers

New research highlights the significant organisational costs of losing midlife staff due to unaddressed caring responsibilities: 

  • 44% of employers said staff departures had a negative business impact

  • 67% reported a mid-level or greater knowledge gap when staff left

  • 33% found it difficult to replace leavers, impacting workflow and continuity

  • 51% struggled to find staff with equivalent experience

  • 45% had to hire multiple people to cover one leaver’s responsibilities

These findings show that early exits are not just a loss of people, but a loss of expertise, stability, and investment.

Find out more

"My employer was not supportive so I had to give up my job"

Carent

Actions You Can Take to Support Your Carents in the Workplace

Carents.co.uk is the UK’s trusted digital hub for people supporting elderly parents or relatives. It is free to access, available 24/7, and packed with practical, expert-led guidance.

Your teams can access:

  • Guides and Articles: Covering planning for emergencies, NHS services, finances, housing, legal rights, and more

  • Practical Tools: Including eBooks, practical checklists and toolkits

  • Online Community: The Carents Lounge offers peer connection, support, and real-life insight

  • Original Research: Including our landmark 2025 Working Carents Survey

All content follows NHS Information Standard principles, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and accessibility.

Partner with Carents to Build a Supportive Workplace

Carents is more than an information provider, we collaborate with employers to create practical, meaningful support for midlife employees caring for elderly parents.

If you're committed to building a carent-friendly organisation, we’d love to explore how we can work together. We’re keen to understand the unique challenges your employees face and co-create initiatives that make your workplace more supportive, inclusive, and resilient.

Organisations that support working carers often benefit from improved retention, reduced absenteeism, and higher levels of employee trust and engagement.

Download the 2025 Carents in the Workplace Report

Invisible and Overwhelmed: A Survey of UK Carents Balancing Wok and Elderly Care Responsibilities

Our new report Invisible and Overwhelmed: A Survey of UK Carents Balancing Wok and Elderly Care Responsibilities explores how employers are supporting employees who care for ageing loved ones, backed by exclusive data and personal insights from over 1,000 carents.

Download your free copy by completing the form.

Let’s Start the Conversation

If your organisation is committed to supporting employees who care for ageing parents, we would love to connect.

Email us at bd@carents.co.uk