In recent years, companies have invested a lot of time and energy into improving company culture. Shiny new fitness centers, break rooms stocked with refreshments and equipped with couches and big screen TVs, flexible work hours, extended vacation time, free meals, educational programs — the list of employee perks and benefits goes on. Companies like Zappos and Google are leading the way in the company culture movement. Zappos even screens prospective employees through a cultural fit interview to ensure they’re the right fit for the company’s culture.

So what’s the motivation behind the company culture frenzy these days? For one, companies seem to be realizing that employees are more than just revenue-producing pawns. Employees want to be valued and treated with respect. The other reason is that employees tend to work harder when they are comfortable with their company’s culture and feel like they are working toward a common goal and vision. In short, great company culture will result in driven employees and increased productivity.

Companies have certainly come a long way in taking care of their employees, but what if there is another factor flying under the radar that can’t be solved in break rooms or fitness centers and is killing workplace productivity? In fact, this responsibility is forcing employees to cut back on work hours, take leaves of absence or, in some cases, even lose their jobs. To top it all off, what if employees felt they had no choice but to take on this responsibility and face it alone?