Employers are being urged to do more to support midlife staff balancing paid work with caring for children and elderly relatives, as new data reveals the toll of dual care responsibilities on career progression and mental health. The research comes as the Princess of Wales calls on business leaders to value compassion and caregiving in the workplace.
Speaking at a Future Workforce Summit in the City of London on Tuesday, Catherine said workplaces should support employees with family duties and reframe their understanding of success to include emotional wellbeing. She described caregiving as the “quiet, often invisible” work that keeps families and society functioning.
“I believe in restoring the dignity to the quiet, often invisible work of caring, of loving well, as we look to build a happier, healthier society,” she told more than 80 senior executives.
A generation under pressure
New UK findings released by family safety technology company Spacetalk reveal the scale of pressure on adults aged 35 to 54, known as the sandwich generation. One in five respondents said they had turned down a promotion due to caring responsibilities, while nearly a quarter had taken unpaid leave. Two thirds reported having to change how they work, including moving to remote roles or reducing their hours.
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The survey also found that more than a quarter of sandwich carers felt close to burnout several times a week, with many experiencing financial hardship and emotional strain. Over three quarters of respondents said they were concerned about their financial situation, while more than four in 10 reported a decline in their mental health since taking on caring responsibilities.
Simon Crowther, CEO of Spacetalk, said the data highlighted a group of workers often overlooked in workplace policy. “Many adults in the UK are currently overwhelmed balancing significant caring responsibilities for multi-generational families, alongside working full-time, trying to squeeze in a social life, look after themselves, and more,” he said.
“We built Spacetalk to provide them something invaluable: freedom. Knowing that a loved one has arrived safely, or that Mum and Dad are okay, means families can let go of constant worry and allow everyone to explore and live more independently.”
Workplace careers on hold
The study reveals a picture of career progression placed on pause by the demands of care. With 22 percent spending between seven and 12 hours a week looking after others, and more than half expecting to continue in caring roles for another five to 10 years, many respondents reported a need to downscale work ambitions.
Among those adapting their work arrangements, 29 percent had moved to fully remote roles, while 37 percent had reduced their hours. Others described missed career opportunities and unaffordable care costs, with one in ten spending over £600 a month supporting children and older relatives. Over a quarter said they had cut back on socialising, hobbies or exercise due to financial pressures.
The emotional impact was also significant. Over half said they had less time to connect with friends or pursue interests, while more than a third had sacrificed sleep or time with their partner. And 35 percent said they had no support system to fall back on.
Gender gap in unpaid care
The burden of care continues to fall more heavily on women. Almost a quarter of female respondents said they spent over 36 hours per week caring for another person, compared with just 8 percent of men. Women also reported greater emotional strain, with nearly half experiencing a decline in mental health, compared with a third of male respondents.
Crowther said any effective response from employers would need to reflect the gendered nature of caregiving. “Employers need to recognise that caregiving isn’t a marginal issue,” he said. “It affects career progression, mental health, and retention, particularly for women. If you want a resilient and diverse workforce, you have to build in real support.”
Technology as part of the solution
The research also found that many carers saw potential in digital tools to help manage their responsibilities. Around half of respondents said supportive technology such as smartwatches or family apps could save them three to six hours of care work per week. They said this would free up time to improve their own wellbeing, support their careers or relieve financial pressure.
Spacetalk’s new Freedom Platform includes app-based family coordination tools, location tracking, and instant alerts to help households manage complex care needs. The system is designed to give carers peace of mind while enabling safe independence for children and older adults.
A call for change
The Princess of Wales used her summit speech to urge employers to consider how workplace cultures can better support families. She said businesses should value “time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success”, and that emotional connection was not separate from professional life, but essential to it.
“As business leaders you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible,” Catherine said.
Her comments echo the experiences reflected in the Spacetalk data: a growing number of employees are quietly absorbing the cost of care, often without the policies or flexibility they need to stay healthy, supported and productive.
With 1.4 million people in the UK estimated to belong to the sandwich generation, the question now being asked is whether employers are prepared to act. For many midlife workers, the price of silence may be a stalled career, declining health or a quiet departure from the workforce.
