5 reasons employers should support employees who are carers

As an employer how aware are you of the staff within your organisation who have another life as an unpaid carer for relatives or friends? Do you know who those employees are and how they manage to juggle the demands of working life and being a carer? May be you do but many employers do not.

There are estimated to be over 3 million people who work and provide care to a disabled or elderly person. 1 in 6 of those people will find the struggle to balance the two roles to be too much and will eventually give up work. However, often just a small degree of workplace support or flexibility could make all the difference enabling them to carry on working and performing well in the workplace.

Five reasons for supporting carers in the workplace:
1. Better performance
2. Fewer days absence
3. Less stress and other health issues
4. Greater workforce confidence in employer
5. Fulfilling legal responsibilities

By making a few small changes employers can support and help employees to achieve a better outcome for them, their families and the business.

Here are some steps to improving support for carers –

1. Introduce in-house training on care issues

2. Sign post employees to sources of support at work and externally

3. Train managers in the needs of staff who act as carers

4. Encourage the creation of a support network within the workplace

5. Nominate a member of staff for the Unpaid Carers Award ( Carers UK )

Barker Evans Private Client Law offers a range of training courses for managers and employees on care issues.