Behind the Excel tables and meetings with a busy agenda, another life is being organized. Shopping, medical appointments, broken nights, constant worry. Today, assistance concerns one in five adults in France. But at work, silence dominates. Between professional loyalty and family responsibility, millions of French people walk on a tightrope.
One in five adults concerned: assistance, a massive and lasting reality
The survey conducted by the HOW MUCH agency, carried out from January 29 to February 6, 2026 among 3,204 people, highlights a major phenomenon.
More than one in 5 French people (22%) say they have regularly helped a loved one over the last twelve months. Among them, 18% are still in a caregiving situation today. In other words, nearly one in five adults currently support a parent, a spouse, a child or another loved one facing a loss of autonomy, a chronic illness or a disability.
Estimates suggest around 5 million helping employees in France, or nearly 7% of the population according to the OCIRP 2025 Observatory. A structural reality, far from being marginal.
In 35% of cases, caregivers support several loved ones at the same time. For those who accompany a single person, it is most often a parent (23%), then a spouse (16%) or a child (12%). Grandparents and other relatives represent a more minority share.
The charge is rarely punctual. Nearly two out of three caregivers devote at least six hours per week to this assistance: 29% between six and ten hours, 36% beyond ten hours, including 21% more than twenty hours per week. Added to this are the journeys, the coordination of care, and the constant mental load.
And for 36% of caregivers accompanying an elderly parent, there is another responsibility: one or more dependent children. This “sandwich generation” thus combines double family pressure and professional constraints.
Work despite everything: reduced availability, career on hold
Assistance does not remain without effect on professional life. 57% of helping employees report a temporary drop in availability or productivity over the last twelve months. A third of employees (33%) have requested or increased their use of teleworking. And 29% mention delays or unexpected absences.
Other adjustments are heavier: 22% have reduced their working hours, even temporarily. 16% have given up on a promotion, mobility or mission.
However, 38% say they have not observed any notable impact. The reality therefore appears contrasting: some manage to absorb the load, others silently adjust their trajectory.
The financial consequences are also tangible. 57% of caregivers say they have incurred costs or a reduction in resources over the last twelve months: 21% mention significant expenses (transport, care, home help), 36% more moderate expenses. Only 41% say they have suffered no financial impact.
In the short term, 21% mainly cite unpaid leave or absences, 17% a reduction in working hours. 12% refused a professional opportunity for care reasons. And 26% fear a future impact on their career, with no concrete consequences at this stage.
A silent fragility. A precarious balance.
“The company can no longer treat assistance as a private subject“
Despite these impacts, the majority remains silent. Only 37% of helping employees say they have informed their employer of their situation. 61% didn’t tell anyone.
The reasons are multiple. 34% want to separate professional and personal life. 24% do not feel legitimate or do not consider themselves “helpers”. 28% are unaware of the existence of planning measures. 21% did not know that assistance could be recognized in the workplace.
Added to this is fear: 25% fear a negative impact on their career, 23% are afraid of being judged, 19% of being perceived as less reliable, 18% of being stigmatized. 21% prefer to hold on as long as the impact remains “manageable”.
Sandrine Dorbes, speaker, expert in compensation strategy and creator of HOW MUCH, warns:
“Estimates speak of around 5 million helping employees in France. This represents approximately 7% of the French population (sources Observatoire OCIRP 2025). In this context, the company can no longer treat assistance as a private subject: it is an issue of work organization, prevention and sustainable performance. Our survey shows a majority of helping employees still silent, but a massive expectation of simple solutions that can be activated quickly — flexible hours, teleworking, leave and day bank. A “caregiver agreement” is first of all a clear, protective and confidential framework, to prevent help from turning into professional dropout..
The expectation is clear: 81% of caregivers want a “carer agreement” in place in their company, including 46% in an assertive manner. The most cited measures relate to daily organization: facilitated teleworking or flexible working hours (45%), leave arrangements or donated days (32%), flexible part-time work (24%). More structuring measures – dedicated referent (14%), psychological support (12%), financial aid (7%) – remain in the minority. 22% say they are not aware of any existing measures.
The survey reveals a striking gap between lived reality and its institutional recognition. The assistance is neither marginal nor exceptional. It is lasting, structuring, sometimes exhausting. Behind every discreet employee, there is a vulnerable loved one. Behind each unforeseen absence, a medical consultation, a fall, an emergency. Recognizing assistance at work is not granting a privilege. This is admitting a profound demographic transformation. And lay the foundations of a more human organization, capable of protecting those who, every day, take care of others without stopping working.