Most workplaces were designed around one kind of responsibility outside work, which was young children. There are school hours, parental leave, the understanding that someone may need to leave when a nursery calls. Far fewer are ready for a quieter change that is already under way. More and more of the people you work with are caring for an adult.
The reasons are not mysterious. In many countries people are living longer, the number of very old people is growing quickly, and families are smaller and more spread out than they used to be. That often leaves someone in their forties or fifties looking after a parent, while still raising children or holding down a demanding job. Others care for a partner, a sibling or an adult child with a long term condition.
This kind of caring rarely announces itself. A colleague starts taking calls in the corridor, misses the occasional morning, or becomes vague about a holiday. They may not tell anyone, partly because there is no obvious script for it, and partly because they worry about being seen as less committed.
Some governments are starting to respond. In Great Britain, for example, employees have had the right since April 2024 to take up to a week of unpaid carer's leave each year, from their first day in a job. Many employers go further on their own. But a policy only helps if people feel able to use it.
That is where ordinary colleagues matter more than any rule. Teams that share knowledge, document their work and avoid single points of failure make it far easier for someone to step away for an afternoon without dread. Managers who ask how things are at home, and mean it, hear about problems before they turn into a resignation.
And for many of us this will be personal sooner or later. It is worth knowing, before you need it, what your employer offers and who you would talk to.
Monday: find out what your company's policy says about caring for an adult, and whether anyone on your team knows it exists.
– Asael Shinder
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