Purpose
To consider caregiving responsibilities, diverse life circumstances, and participants’ everyday needs when planning and facilitating meetings, making participation more equitable, accessible, and inclusive for everyone.
What need does it address?
- Supporting the participation of caregivers in meetings
- Reducing conflicts between work responsibilities and care responsibilities
- Making meetings more inclusive and accessible
- Creating space for participants’ needs to be visible
- Fostering a care-friendly organizational culture
How can it be practiced?
1. Schedule meetings with caregiving responsibilities in mind.
When setting meeting times, consider participants’ caregiving commitments and everyday responsibilities.
For example:
- School drop-off and pick-up times
- Childcare or care service schedules
- Regular caregiving responsibilities
- Medical appointments
- Medication schedules
2. Begin meetings with a brief “Care Check-In.”
At the start of the meeting, create a short 2–3 minute space where participants can share any needs or constraints they would like others to be aware of.
For example:
- “I need to leave at 4:00 PM.”
- “I have to pick up my child from school.”
- “My energy is low today, so a focused meeting would help.”
- “Because of my caregiving responsibilities this week, could we revisit the deadline together?”
This brief check-in helps make care needs visible and allows the meeting to unfold in a way that is more accessible for everyone.
3. Offer flexible participation options.
Whenever possible:
- Allow hybrid participation.
- Record the meeting.
- Share notes afterward.
- Repeat important meetings at different times when needed.
4. Normalize care needs.
Requesting flexibility, leaving early, or speaking about care responsibilities can be treated as a normal and accepted part of organizational life.
Things to consider
- Care needs are personal; sharing should always be voluntary.
- People experience caregiving responsibilities in different ways.
- The goal is not to create special privileges but to reduce barriers to participation.
- Meetings should not be planned based on the assumption that everyone has the same life circumstances.
The İhtimam perspective
İhtimam Rituals offer practical ways to strengthen relationships of care in everyday life. However, lasting solutions to the invisibility of care require changes in institutions, policies, and systems as well.
For more structural approaches, explore the Care Policy Development Tool:
https://ihtimam.org/poa/
Shared by
This ritual was shared by İhtimam’s Co-Nurturers.
İhtimam Rituals is a living collection of care practices developed by individuals, communities, and organizations in everyday life. You can contribute to this collective archive by sharing a ritual that strengthens relationships of care in your own daily life.