How this Modern Health exec balanced caregiving and career

• Key Insight: Learn how overlooked caregiver needs are reshaping talent retention and workforce strategy.  
• What's at Stake: Rising turnover, productivity loss and compliance risk for firms ignoring caregiver support.  
• Forward Look: Expect renewed pressure as return-to-office mandates collide with growing caregiver prevalence.
• Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Alison Borland spent nearly a decade during her 30s caring for her father, while also working as a senior consultant for a human resources firm. 
"I don't know how I stayed employed," Borland says. At the time, she was working a demanding job while juggling marriage, motherhood and her father's increasingly worsening health. After suffering from heart issues, Harold was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 64. 

When Borland looks back at that time in her life, she points to the support from her employer and co-workers, something she prioritizes now as the chief people and strategy officer for Modern Health.

"I wasn't a single parent. I had managers and leaders who paid attention," Borland says. "Even if I didn't share [that something was wrong], they knew. I had also been there for a long time, so I had built up the trust that I got my work done." 

Yet not everyone in the "sandwich caregiving generation" is so fortunate, Borland says. That phrase refers to the millions of working professionals in the U.S. who care for both children and parents.  

Read more: The caregiving benefits employees need at every stage

Lack of support can lead to burnout and chronic stress in the workplace. According to a 2025 caregiving study by the AARP, nearly 20% of employees with caregiving responsibilities have considered quitting their jobs. The study also found that half of working family caregivers report going in late, leaving early, or taking time off from work to provide care.

Borland says there are a number of ways that benefit managers can help employees in the sandwich caregiving generation find balance in their lives. 

Being transparent

It starts with trust, and one of the best ways to establish that is to have a candid conversation, Borland says. Employees should be clear with managers about what they need, which gives the company the opportunity to deliver. At Modern Health, the company offers community circles for employees where they can listen to experts, therapists and providers, and discuss the challenges of caregiving with peers. 

"If [managers] don't know, they'll probably fail," Borland says. "And if they do know they might fail, but at least they have a shot. One of the worst feelings is when someone leaves or quits, and they give you the reasons why and you had no idea. You didn't have a chance."

Read more: This benefit helps leaders confront common caregiving challenges

Borland also suggests that managers undergo training so they can easily spot someone who is struggling with work-life balance and follow through with the right level of support, which could include different types of mental health support, meditation programs and guidance for caregiving.

Caregiving can be very isolating and it's something that affects a lot of families — around a quarter of adults are in some kind of caregiving mode, according to Borland. 

"You can feel very alone," she says.  

Worrying trends

The pandemic spurred employers to offer flexible work hours and remote work, benefits that most caregivers report as being helpful to them, according to the AARP caregiving report. But now those trends are reversing with more return-to-office mandates and a growing expectation that employees will be "always on all the time," Borland says. 

 "Recently there's also been a shift away from the more employee-centric cultures at many organizations, and as a result we're seeing high levels of stress, anxiety and burnout," she says.

Read more: Why are workplace benefits still overlooking burnout?

Thinking back to her own experience, Borland says that every employee is just one or two circumstances away from being in a position just like she was with her father Harold. 

"It has certainly shaped how I lead, how I think about caring for my team and how much I pay attention to body language and the tones of voices," Borland says.