Who This Case Study Is For
This case study is designed for employers, Human Resources leaders, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professionals, benefits administrators, and workplace strategists seeking effective and practical ways to support employees with eldercare responsibilities. It offers a real-world example of how one organization successfully designed, implemented, and sustained a paid leave program tailored to meet the needs of employees caring for aging parents and grandparents.
What the Case Study Covers
The Concentric Caregiving Program was developed by David Greene, a UX Director and caregiving advocate at Critical Mass, a global digital agency in the Omnicom network. It provides employees with five days of flexible, paid eldercare leave annually—without requiring them to use vacation or sick time. The program is grounded in simplicity, trust, and a deep understanding of what working caregivers actually need. This case study includes;
- How the program was conceived and built from the ground up
- The role of internal champions and DEI leadership
- Implementation strategies, branding, and communication
- Real employee stories showing how the benefit is used
- Measurable outcomes on engagement, retention, and usage
- Lessons learned, challenges, and guidance for replication
Why It’s Useful
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. employees are caring for an aging family member while working—a reality often overlooked in employer benefit strategies. According to AARP’s 2023 report, Working While Caregiving: It’s Complicated, over 29 million employed adults in the U.S. are providing unpaid care to an aging loved one. Yet most workplace benefits still focus on early-life caregiving, like parental leave.
The Concentric program expands the circle of care by addressing later-life caregiving needs through a flexible, paid leave benefit. It offers a concrete model that organizations can adapt, scale, and use to:
- Reduce caregiver burnout and absenteeism
- Improve retention and engagement across age groups, including early-career professionals caring for grandparents
- Foster a culture of trust, inclusion, and employee well-being
- Advance DEI and multigenerational workforce strategies
- Build a strong business case for eldercare leave grounded in ROI and employee loyalty