Caregiving Is Work — We Just Don’t Treat It That Way

You shouldn’t have to choose between showing up for your job and showing up for your family and loved ones. Caregiving is a growing part of modern work life — and it’s largely invisible. In today’s episode of Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel talks with Jennifer Levin, author of Generation Care, about what it means to care for others while juggling a career, and how we can better support caregivers at work and beyond.

Jennifer began caregiving for her chronically ill father in her early thirties, long before her peers were navigating similar responsibilities. Struck by how few people were talking about it, she created Caregiver Collective, a Facebook group for Millennial and Gen X caregivers. Her new book, gives voice to a generation of caretakers, and confronts the increasingly urgent crisis of caretaking in the U.S.

Jessi and Jennifer discuss:

• The emotional toll of caregiving and why so many of us feel alone in it

• Why caregiving should be treated as real, valuable work

• How to support colleagues who are quietly balancing care responsibilities

• Why policy change must recognize caregiving as core to the future of work

• How managers and leaders can create cultures that acknowledge and support caregiving

• The power of talking about caregiving — with friends, with employers, and in public

This episode is for anyone who’s ever whispered, I’m sandwiching today. Whether you're deep in it now or likely to take on a caregiving role in the future, this conversation offers clarity, comfort, and community.

Continue the conversation at Hello Monday Office Hours. Join Jessi and Senior Producer Sarah Storm this Wednesday at 3PM ET on the LinkedIn News page to talk about caregiving, trade-offs, and what support really looks like in today’s workplace.