Taking Care Of Those Who Take Care.
THE CHALLENGE:
While companies have expanded support for young parents—through parental leave, mentorship, and flexible hours—employees caring for aging parents are often left with little to no support. The result: stress, absenteeism, and lost productivity.
The challenge was clear: design a solution that empowers employees as caregivers while delivering measurable business value.
THE CHALLENGE:
While companies have expanded support for young parents—through parental leave, mentorship, and flexible hours—employees caring for aging parents are often left with little to no support. The result: stress, absenteeism, and lost productivity.
The challenge was clear: design a solution that empowers employees as caregivers while delivering measurable business value.
THE SOLUTION:
When I joined Critical Mass DE&I Board as the Age Affiliation Group lead, I asked the community what challenges I should focus on. One colleague’s comment stuck with me:
“Our company is doing all these wonderful things for younger parents—expanded leave, mentorship, flexible hours—but what about those of us caring for our parents?”
That hit close to home. At the time, I was traveling regularly to Boston to care for my father, who had late-stage Parkinson’s, COPD, and congestive heart failure. Half my vacation time went to caregiving. I realized I wasn’t alone.
When I joined Critical Mass DE&I Board as the Age Affiliation Group lead, I asked the community what challenges I should focus on. One colleague’s comment stuck with me:
“Our company is doing all these wonderful things for younger parents—expanded leave, mentorship, flexible hours—but what about those of us caring for our parents?”
That hit close to home. At the time, I was traveling regularly to Boston to care for my father, who had late-stage Parkinson’s, COPD, and congestive heart failure. Half my vacation time went to caregiving. I realized I wasn’t alone.
Inspired by that moment—and drawing on my UX background in service design—I created Concentric, a first-of-its-kind eldercare benefit providing employees with 40 hours of paid time annually to care for aging loved ones.
- Designed policies and processes to make the program clear and accessible
- Built branding and communications to drive awareness and adoption
- Secured executive sponsorship by framing it as both a people-first initiative and a business solution
When I joined Critical Mass DE&I Board as the Age Affiliation Group lead, I asked the community what challenges I should focus on. One colleague’s comment stuck with me:
“Our company is doing all these wonderful things for younger parents—expanded leave, mentorship, flexible hours—but what about those of us caring for our parents?”
That hit close to home. At the time, I was traveling regularly to Boston to care for my father, who had late-stage Parkinson’s, COPD, and congestive heart failure. Half my vacation time went to caregiving. I realized I wasn’t alone.
THE IMPACT:
Concentric has become one of Critical Mass’s most successful benefit programs:
- Adopted by 10% of employees across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Latin America
- Featured in a Boston College case study published on the AARP Employer Resource Center
- Presented at the Gerontological Society of America (2025)
WHY IT MATTERS:
Concentric proves workforce innovation can be both compassionate and strategic—helping employees balance life and work while creating measurable business value.
It’s proof the future of work isn’t a compromise, but a win–win for people and business alike.