Carers struggle to combine work and care
Growing numbers of employees provide regular care for relatives or friends who need their support because of serious illness, a disability or problems that affect them in daily life.
Read on to find out how to access support and remember……
A report on Supporting Working Carers commissioned by The CIPD in collaboration with the University of Sheffield in 2020 highlighted these key findings
Almost 3.7 million employees in England and Wales are working carers.
For about 2.6 million (72%) of these working carers, care is additional to full-time paid work.
Forty-four per cent of working carers reported that they found it difficult to combine
their paid employment and caring responsibilities. We estimate that there are almost
1.6 million carers in England and Wales struggling to combine work and care.
Working carers employed in the voluntary/third and the public sectors are more likely
than those in the private sector to find it difficult to combine work and care.
Support for you as a carer
(As well as using the information below, please do use the resources on the other pages of this site to support your overall well-being)
https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/work-and-career/support-in-work/
Telling your employer about your caring role
It is your choice whether to tell us your employer about your caring role or not, but knowledge of your circumstances can help us to tailor our support to your needs.
Please click on this link to access our Leave Policy.
Telling other staff about your caring role
Colleagues can be very supportive, and it may help simply to discuss your situation with someone you can trust at work.
Other colleagues may also have caring responsibilities, and sharing experiences can be a great support.
Arranging extra support whilst you are in work
If you feel getting some additional support in place for the person you are looking after would help you balance working and caring, there are several paths you could choose from:
Assessments from your local council or trust
As assessment for the person you are looking after would look at their care and support needs. Outcomes might include a care worker, a place at a day centre, meals delivered to their home, equipment and technology to help around the home or adaptations to the home.
Arranging care and support privately
If you would rather arrange care and support privately, then you could see if your local council/trust has a list of approved care providers in the area.
Need extra support for your own needs?
You may be able to get financial support through a grant if you have a disability or physical or mental health condition and need support with this for your employment.
This could help pay for:
- BSL interpreters, lip speakers or note takers
- adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work
- taxi fares to work or a support worker if you cannot use public transport
- a support worker or job coach to help you in your workplace.
See the UK Government’s Access to Work page to find out about the criteria and what’s involved.
Carers Allowance
If you spend a lot of time looking after someone with an illness or disability, you may be entitled to extra money in the form of a benefit called Carer’s Allowance.
Technology
There’s a whole world of technology that could help make life as a carer easier.
This video runs through websites, comparison sites for savings, smartphone features and apps and connected devices such as smart plugs, bulbs, blinds and smart heating controls.
The Blue Sky Social Care Card
The Blue Sky Social Card Card acts as an Employee/Carer and Unpaid Carer ID Card. It is also available to unpaid carers and volunteers.
This card can be used across the nation to gain accessibility as a carer as well as access to national retail perks and discounts. Find out more by visiting: https://blueskycard.uk/
Guidance for managers to support a colleague
According to research by the CIPD, most carers (62%) prefer an ‘enabling’ organisation that gives carers
permission to respond as and when they need to. Only 18% of carers prefer a ‘hand-holding’ organisation – one that intervenes in the employees’ situations.
This toolkit from the Prince’s Responsible Business network has lots of resources to help you support colleagues with caring responsibilities.
Some suggestions are listed below.
Supporting Carers
- Encourage informal flexible working in your team.
- Signpost to well-being support: see the Mind, Employee Assistance and Contacts sections of this site.
- Ask carers for feedback on the impact of your management style.
Work on developing a ‘speak up’ culture within your team
- Encourage people to come forward with any issues or concerns related to being a carer.
- Challenge negative attitudes or comments towards carers
Normalise flexible working in your team
- Ask for training on managing flexible teams successfully.
- Challenge negative attitudes or comments towards those who work part time or flexible hours.
Empower Carers
- Encourage autonomy on the part of carers in your team, such as responding to personal phone calls.
- Enable them to make decisions about managing their work
time and tasks relating to their caring responsibilities.
