Survey Finds Mental Strain Is the Biggest Concern in Balancing Caregiving and Work; 65% Report Reduced Anxiety After Consultation

Work-Life Balance Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based company that has provided workstyle reform consulting since its founding in 2006, analyzed participant surveys from its “Caregiving and Work Consultation Café,” one of the contents in its fixed-fee “Caregiving Turnover Prevention Training Service” launched in January 2025. The results show that the most common concern in balancing caregiving and work is “mental burden,” while responses also revealed workplace-related psychological anxieties such as “worrying about causing trouble for colleagues” and “concern over whether the workplace will understand.” Through basic knowledge provided by experts and opportunities for consultation, 65% of respondents said their anxiety decreased. In Japan, approximately 100,000 people leave their jobs each year due to caregiving. Caregiving-related resignation is no longer only an individual issue; it has become an organizational risk that can affect corporate management. Caregiving often begins suddenly, has an uncertain outlook, and can become prolonged, while many employees still find it difficult to discuss their caregiving situation at work. About half of those who leave work due to caregiving do so within two years of caregiving beginning, making early support systems critical. Under the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Act that came into effect in April 2025, employers are required to take measures such as individually informing employees, confirming their intentions, and improving the employment environment to prevent caregiving-related turnover. However, the nature of “leave” differs greatly between childcare and caregiving. Childcare has certain milestones, while caregiving often has no visible endpoint and varies from person to person. Establishing systems alone is not enough; companies must raise caregiving literacy across the organization and foster a workplace culture that supports employees in balancing work and caregiving. To address these challenges, Work-Life Balance holds the “Caregiving and Work Consultation Café” as part of its fixed-fee caregiving turnover prevention training service. The program offers a venue where participants can consult both caregiving expert Jun Kawauchi, representative director of the NPO Tonari no Kaigo, and Work-Life Balance consultants who specialize in workstyles. The online program combines input on basic caregiving knowledge with interactive consultation time, during which experts answer specific questions about balancing caregiving and work in real time. Starting this fiscal year, in response to demand from people who want to begin by gathering information, the program is held twice a year and made available as an archive. Survey results show that 65% of participants reported reduced anxiety after attending the café. By acquiring necessary knowledge and having access to preventive consultation before directly facing the challenge of balancing caregiving and work, employees can reduce anxiety and build a foundation for taking necessary action proactively. The most common type of anxiety was “a heavy mental burden” at 53%, selected by more than half of respondents. This was followed by “high expenses and financial hardship” at 35%, and “causing trouble for others by taking leave” and “anxiety over whether the workplace will understand,” each at 23%. The high number of responses related to mental strain indicates a strong need for psychological support in balancing caregiving and work. Responses concerning financial anxiety and reluctance toward the workplace also suggest the importance of building systems that prevent work from concentrating on specific individuals and creating a culture where employees can easily discuss caregiving. Participant comments included that the message “the harder you overdo caregiving, the greater the regret, so it is important not to push yourself too far” was memorable; that participants understood the roles of themselves and professionals and realized they should not shoulder everything alone; that they were surprised and encouraged by the idea that family members not providing constant hands-on care may lead to better use of services; that professional views such as not living together, protecting one’s own life first, and changing one’s mindset eased feelings of guilt; and that emotional capacity is important in both caregiving and work, along with maintaining one’s own health. Reasons for reduced anxiety included feeling that they did not have to try so hard, feeling reassured by being strongly encouraged to rely on outside support, gaining confidence that there are always places to consult anywhere in Japan, realizing that it may be better not to provide care directly themselves, and feeling that they are not alone in their worries. Work-Life Balance notes that many companies struggle because employees who are worried about balancing caregiving and work often do not make those issues visible, and according to a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare survey, this tendency is more pronounced in larger companies. Given Japan’s demographic structure, challenges around balancing caregiving and work are expected to grow further. Rather than waiting until issues become visible inside the company, it is important for employers to proactively provide information and create mechanisms that make caregiving easier to discuss internally. A Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry survey also found that the amount of information circulating about balancing caregiving and work is only one-third of that about balancing childcare and work. To raise internal literacy, companies need to create various opportunities to provide information, and Work-Life Balance says its fixed-fee caregiving turnover prevention training service can deliver such information effectively. Jun Kawauchi of Tonari no Kaigo commented that while there is a limit to the number of companies the NPO can directly support on its own, caregiving-related resignation is happening in workplaces everywhere at this very moment, and he hopes Work-Life Balance’s framework will help more workplaces move toward appropriate support. On May 28, 2026, Work-Life Balance will hold an online event titled “Beware of ‘We’re Still Fine’: Tips for Responding to Legal Revisions and Key Points for Building an Organization That Prevents Caregiving Turnover.” Consultants Shingo Ohata and Sera Arai will explain key points companies should note following the April 2025 revision of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act, why it is difficult to understand the current situation inside one’s own company, what input is needed for top management messaging, tips for providing information to pre-caregiving generations, workstyles and workplace design that prevent employees from taking on caregiving alone for themselves or family members, and the “Zero Caregiving Turnover Declaration.” The survey targeted participants in the “Caregiving and Work Consultation Café,” with 43 responses collected from February 20 to March 12, 2026, through a post-participation questionnaire. The fixed-fee service is offered fully online to companies, municipalities, and other organizations of any size, with unlimited participation for all employees, and is designed to comply with the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Act enforced in April 2025.