It was an emergency. Mom had fallen – in her bedroom, of all places – and somehow she'd gotten herself downstairs to her phone before nearly fainting with the pain. It turned out that she'd broken the top of her femur, an injury that would have lasting complications. And so began a new way of life for both of us. Just as Mom was forced to face her vulnerability and dependence, I discovered how unprepared I was for the overwhelming emotional and practical impact of having a parent who needed care.

My boss was supportive, my colleagues were concerned, and my projects survived thanks to the team's care. I was very lucky. But I was operating in a haze, thanks to the almost daily dash, after work and at weekends, to visit Mom. I was also on a steep learning curve, trying to make sense of, and coordinate, the complicated medical and social care that was available for her (or not) from a mishmash of agencies.

As time went on, we all adjusted. Other members of the family pitched in, the pressure lessened, my mom stopped fighting her fate and started working out strategies to cope mentally and physically, and I refocused on work. I agreed back-up plans with relatives and colleagues so I wouldn't be caught out so badly again. But I always had an intrusive worry: what nasty surprise would come next and how would we all manage?

Supporting Caregivers on Your Team

My experience taught the whole team a lesson: we realized how vulnerable we were to life’s unpredictable events. So I suggested that we cross-train in each other’s areas of responsibility. My manager was only too pleased, recognizing that we’d be better prepared for the next time any of us needed to disappear. And everyone benefited from the development opportunity.

We might pride ourselves on being professionals who compartmentalize our lives so well that "domestic" issues are kept at home and we can “sail on” at work, untouched. But that is an unrealistic approach for both employer and employee. We are complete human beings who experience all of life at once and, I believe, this is as much our strength as our weakness.

My experience of caregiving was short-lived and almost trivial compared with millions of other people's. My respect is greatest for those staff who are part of the "sandwich generation," caring for parents and children. The people who I know in this position are experts at juggling their responsibilities and are often the most efficient at work.

I went on to contribute my energy, brainpower and people skills to my workplace for several more years and earned a promotion before it was finally time to move on. None of this would have been possible without my employers' longsightedness and commitment to me, for which I will always be grateful. In fact, it was exactly because I felt so valued that I did stay so long.

Finding Support If You're a Caregiver

If you have caring responsibilities, do these struggles sound familiar: you're always tired, often anxious, feel isolated, and never find time to look after yourself? If so, alarm bells are ringing. Carers such as yourself are more likely to get ill, and then the issues snowball.

So, can you find just 10 minutes to get online one day and search for a local group of people who will understand your situation because they share it? Who might even be able to share the load a little, practically or emotionally? If you could take a moment to look around in what must feel like a siege situation, you won't be the only one struggling.

And ask yourself: when was the last time you ate properly, as my mother would have said? Body and soul need each other to thrive.

What's Next

With much of the population living longer, caregiving responsibilities are expected to rise dramatically. Maybe you have caring responsibilities yourself, which are challenging to balance with a leadership role. If you manage a team, you will likely, at some point, manage others with these responsibilities.

If you're a carer and find yourself struggling, don’t despair! Take a look at our article How to Juggle Caregiving Responsibilities and Work and make a plan to build some defences for yourself. Most of all, don't try to go it alone.

If you're a manager of a caregiver, take a look at our tool designed for you. You'll find there's loads of ways to make an otherwise tricky situation really work for you, your whole team, and your business. It’ll be worth it.

Tip of the Week

How to Manage Freelancers

By Melanie Bell, Mind Tools Content Editor

Here at Mind Tools, we’re beginning some new content creation initiatives that need more contributors than we have on our team. That means we’ll be hiring and managing freelance talent.

If you, too, find yourself managing freelancers, here are a few best practices:

• Be clear on schedules and deadlines. Remember that freelancers usually have multiple clients, and make sure you agree on a timeline.
• Check on availability. Find out when the freelancers are available to respond to your queries.
• Consider quality, not just price. Often, you get what you pay for. Before getting started, agree clearly on rates.
• Look at work samples or portfolios when choosing freelancers. Have they completed projects similar to what you’re looking for?
• Be clear about project details and what you expect from the result.
• Keep a good balance between freelancers and in-house talent in terms of who gets to do the “fun” projects.

For more tips, see our article Managing Freelancers.

Pain Points Podcast

This week’s podcast continues exploring reports. But this time, the question is, how do you read reports?

That might sound silly, but understanding how to get the most out of a report is a skill. Where do you start? How do you know what’s saliant? And how can you apply the finding?

Find out in this week’s Pain Points – your members only podcast from Mind Tools.

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News Roundup

This Week's Global Workplace Insights

"Coffee Badging," the New Presenteeism

It’s not enough to “quiet quit” anymore. A recent workplace TikTok trend has employees coming into the office only long enough to grab a cup of coffee.

If their employers mandate presence at the office, workers use the “coffee badging” loophole to check in, be seen, and connect with colleagues. Then they go back home to complete their work. It’s a way of outsmarting return-to-work mandates, which many employees dislike.

This practice was first named in 2023, when YourTango noted that these employees can sometimes be more productive than their in-office counterparts. This summer, it’s risen again in social media popularity. This practice is concerning for some managers, and one potential solution is to make sure that requirements to work onsite have a valid reason.

"Coffee badging" can be motivated by the desire for better work-life integration. Whatever your work schedule or location, see our article Work-Life Integration for tips on how to connect the two effectively.

U.K.'s Four-Day Work Week Trial Has Positive Results

The Guardian reports that the South Cambridgeshire district council’s trial of a four-day working week, the largest trial of this practice in the U.K., had positive results overall.

Despite early government skepticism, research on the results of the trial showed improvements in performance in 11 out of 24 areas studied.

Throughout the area that implemented the shorter working week, staff turnover dropped by 39 percent, saving £371,500, mostly in staffing costs.

Around 15 percent more major planning application decisions were completed within their timescale, and regular household planning applications were, on average, decided a week and a half earlier. The processing of housing and council tax benefit claims also sped up – which means that working less time can save time in many cases.

Thousands of private companies in the U.K. have already adopted a four-day working week. Employers from Sweden, the U.S., New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates have experimented with this practice as well.

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight from the Mind Tools team!