Eldercare benefit shows promise
flexible leave program shows positive results
An eldercare employee benefit that is the subject of a Boston College School of Social Work case study holds promise for the millions of working Americans who face the challenge of caring for aging family members and loved ones, according to the AV研究所SSW researchers. 聽
Supported by a grant from AARP, Associate Professor Christina Matz鈥攄irector of the Center on Aging & Work at AV研究所SSW鈥攁nd doctoral student Chin-Yi Su have authored an of the Concentric Caregiving Program, which provides flexible paid leave each year to employees at global digital agency Critical Mass, an employer partner in AARP鈥檚 Living, Learning & Earning Longer Collaborative.
Through Concentric, Critical Mass employees receive up to 40 hours鈥攖he equivalent of five standard workdays鈥攁nnually for eldercare responsibilities, which can be used in full days or smaller increments. Employees submit a request through an online form, with minimal explanation required, and Concentric hours are recorded in the company鈥檚 time-tracking software, enabling Critical Mass to monitor usage patterns and better understand caregiving needs. Concentric鈥攄eveloped by David Greene, a user-experience director and caregiving advocate at Critical Mass鈥攁lso includes educational seminars on caregiving-related topics.
AV研究所SSW Associate Professor Christina Matz (Caitlin Cunningham)
According to Matz and Su鈥檚 case study, approximately 10 percent of Critical Mass鈥檚 nearly 1,900 employees opted into the program when Concentric was introduced in 2023 (an update on current numbers has not yet been completed). In addition to flexibility and the ease of tracking it provides, Concentric has been praised for fostering greater employee loyalty and emotional connection to the company, as well as promoting mutual employee-management trust.
鈥淐aregiving isn鈥檛 a niche issue鈥攊t鈥檚 a workforce reality,鈥� said Matz. 鈥淥ur Concentric case study shows that a simple, flexible five days/40 hours of paid eldercare leave can provide real relief for employees and measurable gains in retention and engagement. We鈥檙e eager to share how Critical Mass made it work so other employers can adapt, scale, and support a truly multigenerational workforce.鈥�
The program鈥檚 name is meant to convey the philosophy behind the caregiving it supports, she said: a series of concentric circles with the employee at the center. Where a parental leave program represents the first circle of care, a concentric circle is the next, extending outward to address the next stage of life: eldercare.
AV研究所SSW doctoral student Chin-Yi Su is co-author of the case study.
Among the more significant findings from the case study, according to Matz and Su, was that employees tend to use Concentric time in smaller increments rather than full days: One employee might need two hours to take a parent to a doctor鈥檚 appointment, for example, or an afternoon to help their grandparents reorganize their house. But the five days proved useful for one employee who journeyed to Jamaica to care for her grandmother, they noted, and another who traveled to Korea to support her grandfather.
Another employee moved back to his hometown and into his mother鈥檚 house while she was in hospice care. He worked remotely for six hours each day, then spent the last two hours of his day having dinner and playing cards with her, until the day she died.
鈥淭his shows how eldercare is a diverse, multifaceted issue that necessitates a great deal of flexibility on the part of the employee and employer,鈥� said Matz. 鈥淲hat stands out about Concentric is that it enabled people in very different situations to be where they needed to be, which is so important to the physical and mental health of the caregiver. It鈥檚 vital to understand how and why people use the program, so that the organization can better serve its community.鈥�
Employees also appreciated both the application and request process, Matz and Su noted.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not always easy to ask for time off to take care of aging parents or grandparents,鈥� explained Matz. 鈥淧eople often feel discomfort in sharing details about what kind of care they need to provide, when, and for how long. But that didn鈥檛 happen with Concentric.鈥�
In fact, she added, Concentric became a 鈥渂rand name鈥� that employees could use.
鈥淭hey now call it 鈥楥oncentric time.鈥� Or, as a manager noted, instead of saying 鈥業 need time off to take Mom to her doctor,鈥� people might say, 鈥業鈥檓 taking Concentric on Thursday.鈥欌��
Last year, Matz and Su published a larger-scale analysis of caregiving, 鈥淭he Many Faces of Care鈥濃�攁lso published through AARP鈥攚hich lent context to their Concentric case study. As they noted, by 2030, nearly 20 percent of the population will be aged 65 or older, a shift mirrored in the labor force where older workers, aged 50 and above, represent a rapidly growing segment. Alongside this aging workforce, they said, 鈥渢he caregiving crisis is intensifying, with over 53 million Americans providing unpaid care to loved ones.鈥�
Using data from a longitudinal survey taken every two years of more than 20,000 Americans over 50,聽鈥�The Many Faces of Care,"聽 called attention to the experiences of older working caregivers, identifying six distinct caregiving typologies in this group. These included individuals without caregiving responsibilities as well as those engaged in caregiving or financial support for spouses, parents, children, or grandchildren. Each typology highlighted unique sociodemographic characteristics, health outcomes, and well-being profiles.
Discussions are underway about expanding Concentric within Critical Mass. Meanwhile, Matz and Greene have submitted a proposal to showcase their work at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference next March, which would give Concentric more visibility.
鈥淥ne of our goals is to develop a toolkit for other employers to use in implementing their own eldercare benefit,鈥� said Matz. 鈥淥f course, each organization has its unique structure, methodology, and outlook, but we feel Critical Mass鈥檚 experience with Concentric is very instructive in addressing the concerns about eldercare.鈥�