As more than one speaker noted at the CareFest conference this week, in the absence of public solutions, much of the burden has fallen on workplaces to address workers’ care needs. A question that came up throughout our conversations: Given the current state of affairs, what would it look like for businesses to take seriously our collective responsibility to invest in care?

Below is a transcript of our conversation at CareFest with Dawn Huckelbridge, founding director of Paid Leave for All, lightly edited for clarity: