Working Caregivers-The Invisible Employees Newsletter

Brought to you by ieadvocates (invisible employee advocates)

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Typically, when we think of family caregivers, millennials aren’t the first group that comes to mind. However, millennial caregivers compose the largest segment of the U.S. workforce. Born between 1981 and 1996, these 28 to 44-year-olds are raising families, pursuing careers and often juggling caregiving responsibilities simultaneously. On average, they contribute approximately 21 hours per week to caring for a family member, and the majority of them (73%) are also holding down jobs. Although showing up for their loved ones in creative and innovative ways, they remain mostly silent and invisible in the workplace regarding their caregiver status. This “just do it, don’t tell it” approach leaves them underrepresented in organizational data gathering, contributing to the lack of sufficient support for their dual roles of caring and working.

In this issue, we delve into the misperceptions and realities around millennial caregivers and the pivotal position they hold in changing the future of work and care. We speak with millennial caregiver guests who share their stories and insights regarding their unique challenges.

We hope you are informed and enlightened by the insights we share in this issue. Employers and society at large have the responsibility to recognize the contributions of millennials, and to support them with the tools, flexibility and empathy they need to lead the future of work and care. Their success is success for us all.

Table of Contents

• Working Caregivers-The Invisible Employees Newslet …

  • In the news:

  • People and Companies In the spotlight:

  • Stories From Real Working Caregivers:

  • Recommended media content:

  • With gratitude, we share a book review:

    • Order Our Book Here

In the news:

The author shares research from Care.com that inadequate resources provided to younger employees who care for the elderly and chronically ill costs employers $44 billion a year in recruitment, retention and productivity challenges.

The multigenerational impact is significant and the article shares more about what it does to employees, and some solutions employers can consider.

Read the article here.

Read the article here.

Did you know? (Read our blog):

Millennial Caregivers: The Future of the U.S. Care Economy (9/30/25)

In today’s workforce, the millennial caregiver is often the most underestimated of all the employee segments. Born between 1981 and 1996, these workers are building careers while facing the demands of childcare, eldercare, and financial instability. Did you know that millennials compose the largest employee segment in today’s workforce? The majority of them (54%) admit to moderate or high levels of financial stress. And almost 1 in 2 state that family caregiving has negatively affected their mental health. Employers who are concerned with productivity and retention would do well to understand and help address the challenges this group faces.

Though often misunderstood, millennial workers bring tremendous value to the workforce in the form of their resilience, empathy, and innovation. Perhaps the bad reputation they have endured within the labor market erupts from the conflict between perception vs reality. For example:

Perception: Millennial workers have no loyalty, hopping from job to job out of whim or as their mood suits them.

Reality: Motivated by large student debt loads and the high cost of living, millennials must navigate an increasingly evolving labor market that lacks the financial security of their parents’ generation. 

Read blog here

People and Companies In the spotlight:

Episode 26: Navigating Millennial Caregiving with Dr. Rachael Piltch-Loeb

In this episode, we sit down with the incredible Dr. Rachael Piltch-Loeb, author of The Millennial Caregiver, to explore the complex intersection of caregiving, career, and life as a member of the millennial generation. Rachael shares her deeply personal journey of becoming a caregiver for her father who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s while she was simultaneously raising a newborn and advancing her academic career. It’s a raw, real, and deeply insightful conversation that so many millennial caregivers will relate to—whether you're in the thick of it or just starting out.

Together, we unpack the emotional toll, unexpected challenges, and urgent need for better workplace support for caregivers—especially those balancing careers and caregiving in silence. Rachael doesn’t just share her story—she provides actionable advice for starting hard conversations, navigating the healthcare system, and preparing for the unexpected. If you're a working caregiver, or support someone who is, this is a must-listen.

Rachael Piltch-Loeb is a professor and researcher in public health. She holds a MSPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a PhD from New York University. She is also a millennial and a mom of young children who watched in strain and sadness as her dad struggled with Early-onset Alzheimer’s. Inspired by her families’ experience with caregiving and her academic training, she wrote The Millennial Caregiver to create a resource for other young caregivers juggling family, career, and coping.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Stories From Real Working Caregivers:

Meet Paul Sullivan, a real working caregiver:

Paul Sullivan is the founder of The Company of Dads, the first platform dedicated to creating a community for Lead Dads – men who are the go-to parents at home, who support their spouse’s careers and who are allies to Working Moms and caregivers in general at work. The Company of Dads is a media company, community platform and workplace educator with the mission of helping families fulfill their full potential. 

A long-time New York Times columnist, Paul became a Lead Dad in 2013 when his wife started her own asset management firm. He spent the next seven years as an Undercover Lead Dad – not feeling he could be open about his role in his community where most of the childcare seemed to be done by moms or paid caregivers or at work where he didn’t want his editors to think he was not 100 percent committed to his career. He became an expert at calendar jenga to make it work. Encouraged by his wife, Paul ended his New York Times column at the end of 2021 and launched The Company of Dads in early 2022. Today, The Company of Dads is educating Lead Dads through its weekly newsletter, podcast, resource library and various features. It is making Lead Dads feel less isolated through its in-person and online community events. And it is working with companies to change the caregiving conversation in the office and to train managers to message the company’s care policies correctly. Paul also is the co-host of Bright Horizons’ Work-Life Equation podcast.

Before starting The Company of Dads, Paul wrote the Wealth Matters column in The New York Times for 13 years. He also created the Money Game column in GOLF Magazine. As a journalist, his articles also appeared in Fortune, Money, Conde Nast Portfolio, The International Herald Tribune, Barron’s, The Boston Globe, and Food & Wine. From 2000 to 2006, he was a reporter, editor and columnist at the Financial Times. He got his start as a reporter at Bloomberg and Institutional Investor.

He is the author of the books Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t and The Thin Green Line: The Money Secrets of The Super Wealthy. 

Read the entire interview here

Recommended media content:

PODCASTS

Are you a 20-40 something caregiver caring for a partner, parent, grandparent, family member or friend? Are you feeling isolated in your caregiving role because no one your age is experiencing the same journey? Are you feeling stress, overwhelm & frustration because you're trying to provide care while maintaining some semblance of a life? And most importantly, are you in desperate need of support & community to help you see the silver linings and celebrate the small wins before you completely burnout? Young Life Interrupted with host Adrienne Marioles is here with your weekly dose of personal stories, insights and conversations with other caregivers and experts who can help guide you in the right direction when it comes to the most pressing questions you have from being abruptly thrown into your care journey and questions that continue to arise throughout it. She helps young caregivers find community and connection to support them through every step of their care journey. Adrienne spent 10 years in her caregiving role, starting at age 29.

VIDEOS

Jessica C. Guthrie, M.Ed has an instagram with 44,000 followers. She is a caregiver, advocate, educator, and speaker. “When Career & Caregiving Collide is my journey as a millennial caregiver of mom living w/ Alzheimer's Disease.” She is also spotlighted in this video: Millennial cares for mom with Alzheimer’s: 'The reality is you're not prepared. Check out her website.

 BOOKS

For most people, their twenties and thirties are the busiest times of their life, a period of new careers, new friends, new cities, new families. What few count on is that they might also be called to additional responsibilities as caregivers of parents, grandparents, or other family members.

Rachael Piltch-Loeb was juggling a young family and a flourishing academic career when her father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Her experience was the inspiration for The Millennial Caregiver, a heartfelt and practical guide for millennials balancing early adulthood with the demands of caregiving. The book explores challenges unique to the millennial generation—from emotional strain and financial pressures to social isolation and role reversal—and provides insightful strategies to manage these issues. It also highlights the role technology can play for digital natives in caregiving, offering tips for utilizing digital tools and building support networks.

Something is going on with Papa Bear, but Baby Bear doesn't know what it is! Follow Baby Bear as he navigates the complicated emotions of watching someone he loves struggle, as he learns to rely on his loving family members for support and comfort.

What's Going on with Papa Bear? by Jessie Piltch-Loeboffers young readers a reflection of their own heartbreaking journeys of grieving a loved one who is still alive. Baby Bear's touching story explores how we come to comprehend the seemingly incompressible loss of someone we love, as their decline happens right in front of our eyes. This story models how we understand and express the complex and ever-changing emotions that come along with heartbreak, and how leaning on the people around us can ultimately lift us up.

With gratitude, we share a book review:

We want to thank Adam Lewis Walker who took the time to read our book and provide a thoughtful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐review!

“Knowing the author is an expert in the subject matter who is going through something we all will in some way at some time inspired me to buy this book. It did not disappoint, powerful title for something that is not talked about enough until it is too late! Highly recommend this book.”

Order your copy of Working Caregivers-The Invisible Employees book here. If you want to order a quantity of books for your leadership team and employees, contact us directly about discount pricing.

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