Workplace benefits and the changing shape of families

Julian Nurse, Large Corporate & SME Product Lead for Protection at Aviva, explains why inclusive benefits are becoming essential as families change. And he highlights the role advisers can play in helping employers deliver protection that supports modern life.

Published: 06 Mar 2026 5 mins read

For generations, employee benefits were designed around a simple and, frankly, outdated, idea of what a family looks like. A married couple. Biological children. A single household. But this picture no longer reflects how people live today. Families have evolved, diversified and expanded in ways that traditional benefit frameworks can fail to recognise.

For employers and advisers, this shift isn’t just a cultural observation. It’s a call to rethink how workplace support systems operate because when benefits don’t reflect the realities of modern family life, people fall through the cracks.

Families today with children don’t fit a template - so benefits shouldn’t either

Modern families are beautifully varied:

grandparents raising grandchildren
legal guardians and kinship carers
blended families with step parents and step siblings
multi generational households
LGBTQIA+ families/parents
co parenting arrangements
people caring for children who aren’t biologically theirs
grandparents raising grandchildren

These are not niche situations. They’re everyday realities. Yet benefit structures often continue to treat “family” as a narrow, traditional concept, unintentionally excluding the people who rely most on workplace protection.

Employees notice this. When their personal circumstances aren’t acknowledged, they feel unseen. Conversely, when employers embrace the true diversity of families, trust deepens. A sense of belonging grows. And in moments of crisis, people feel supported rather than sidelined.

A necessary shift

When Workplace support meets real life

Progressive employers are beginning to recognise that inclusive support is not only compassionate, but also commercially smart. Inclusive benefits can strengthen retention, build resilience and demonstrate genuine organisational values.

But to do this well, employers need protection products that keep pace with social change.

That’s why Aviva’s latest enhancements to Group Critical Illness cover feel so timely. Rather than simply expanding a list of conditions, the changes reflect a broader shift in mindset: benefits should mirror real life, not an idealised out of date version of it.

Take the expanded child definition. By including legal guardianship, Aviva recognises that the adults who love, care for and raise a child aren’t always the ones traditional policies were built for. This update acknowledges the lived experiences of thousands of families who have long existed outside traditional frameworks. It brings them into the fold, where they should've been all along.

Supporting the journeys families face

Critical illness is rarely an isolated event. It affects the individual, the carer, the wider family, and the financial stability of the household. That’s why recognising more family structures isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’s a necessity.

Aviva’s move to allow cover to continue for spouses/partners and children is another example of aligning with reality, not theory. Serious illnesses don’t happen once. Children may experience multiple conditions. Spouses may face a health crisis years apart. Families deserve support that matches the unpredictability of real life.

And now faster access to financial support, such as payments when someone is added to the NHS waiting list for certain operations, means families get help at the moment stress peaks, not months down the line. It meets the human need for certainty, stability and dignity.

Advisers and Employers: Champions of real world support

Ultimately, advisers and employers are the bridge between evolving family dynamics and meaningful protection. When they choose benefits that acknowledge all families — not just traditional ones, they send a powerful message:

We see you. Your life counts. Your family counts. And we want to support you in the moments that matter.

As the shape of families continues to shift, the organisations that adapt will be the ones people trust most, not just because of the cover they offer, but because of the values they demonstrate.

Aviva’s Group Critical Illness enhancements are one step in this direction. The rest is a collective opportunity: to build workplaces where every kind of family feels recognised, included and protected.