Peek into any meeting and you’ll likely find someone managing not just their professional responsibilities, but also caregiving duties. As we recognize Family Caregivers Month, it’s worth noting that 1 in 5 colleagues are managing care for a loved one on top of their day-to-day jobs.

Whether it’s coordinating a parent’s medical care between calls or researching childcare options during lunch breaks, caregiving touches every corner of today’s workforce. Employee caregivers are the invisible backbone of healthcare, providing an $470 billion worth of care annually.

At Wellthy, we support 160 companies with care concierge and backup care support. And we see caregiving’s impact on the workforce in profound ways. Our CEO, Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, shared recently: “We often talk about threats to the workforce like AI, automation, and climate. It’s time we talk about care and caregiving in that league, too.”

Roughly half of employees say caregiving responsibilities affect their job performance, and nearly 1 in 3 employees say they’re considering taking a leave of absence to manage care needs. This translates into reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates—costing US businesses an estimated $44 billion annually.

The math is simple: investing in caregiver support is a business imperative that impacts retention, productivity, and the bottom line. Companies that recognize this and take meaningful action won’t just be doing the right thing—they’ll be positioning themselves to thrive in an era where the intersection of work and care has become unavoidable.