Caring for Caregivers: A Smart Strategy for Minnesota Employers

Why It Matters to Minnesota Employers

Across Minnesota, one in four working adults is also a family caregiver - supporting an aging parent, a spouse, or a loved one with health challenges while holding down a job. By 2030, one in five Minnesotans will be over 65, and more employees will find themselves balancing work and caregiving responsibilities.

The Hidden Workforce Challenge

Family caregivers in Minnesota provide nearly $10 billion in unpaid care each year, More than the state’s entire Medicaid long-term care budget. But caregiving often comes at a cost: stress, burnout, and lost income. For employers, that means missed shifts, turnover, and lost productivity costing U.S. businesses over $33 billion annually.

The Good News

Most caregivers don’t want to take long leaves. They want to keep working if their employers offer flexibility, support, and understanding. When employers offer flexible schedules, allow remote or adjusted work hours, promote existing benefits, and train managers to respond with empathy, caregivers can stay healthy, productive, and employed.

The Business Case

Supporting caregivers is smart business. It keeps experienced employees on the job, reduces costs, boosts morale, and strengthens the workforce. It can also help minimize long absences under Minnesota’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave program coming in 2026. Supporting caregivers is more than a kind gesture. It’s smart business. It keeps experienced employees on the job, saves money on turnover, boosts morale, and strengthens the entire workforce. When we help caregivers balance work and family, we’re not just supporting individuals. We’re building stronger businesses, stronger communities, and a stronger Minnesota.

Stronger Families. Stronger Workplaces. Stronger Minnesota.

When employers support caregivers, everyone benefits - employees, businesses, and communities. Together, we can build a Minnesota where people can work, care, and thrive.

Caregiver Resources:

AARP Minnesota: Family Caregiver Resources for Minnesota states.aarp.org/minnesota/caregiver-resources

National Alliance for Caregiving: Caregiving Guidebooks Series caregiving.org/guidebooks

Minnesota Board on Aging: Family Caregiving mn.gov/board-on-aging/connect-to-services/family-caregiving

Minnesota Aging Pathways: Caregivers mn.gov/aging-pathways/caregivers

Family Service Rochester: Caregiver Support and Respite Services

Additional sources:

Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace

AARP, Northeast Business group on Health, Solutions Center.

Available with other resource at aarp.org/work/caregiving-resources.

This is one of the most widely cited national reports linking employer practices to caregiver well-being and business performance. It’s designed specifically for HR leaders and small to mid-size businesses.

The Caring Company

Harvard Business School Report.

Available at hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/The_Caring_Company.pdf.

This report reframes caregiving as a strategic workforce issue, not a personal one, showing how supportive policies directly improve engagement and profitability.

Additional resources at: hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/research/Pages/the-caring-company.aspx

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Family Service Rochester Aging Services and Age Friendly Olmsted County are conducting a series of information sessions on supporting employees who are caregivers for businesses in Rochester, Byron, Stewartville, Northfield, and Faribault, These presentations began in October 2025 and will continue through early 2026. This work is supported through a techical assistance grant from the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council.