National Carers Week 2024
This week we are celebrating Carers Week, which is a yearly celebration of the contributions made by unpaid carers to the community while also spreading awareness about the challenges unpaid carers face while juggling caring responsibilities with day-to-day life.
It is estimated that there are 5 million unpaid carers in the UK, and 11% of the UK workforce are also carers. In a report by Carers UK, it was discovered that 40% of carers have had to give up working to make time for caring and 20% had to reduce the number of hours they worked per week. These are troubling statistics, but how do we keep these figures down?
In April of 2024, carer’s leave from the first day of employment was made a legal right thanks to the Carer’s Leave Act 2023. This means that all employees are entitled to one week per every twelve months to provide or arrange alternative care for a dependent. Now this is an excellent improvement. However, it doesn’t solve the problem for every employee who is a carer - in some cases, alternative care methods wouldn’t be suitable, and despite a week’s leave, they’ll still be left with the responsibility for the rest of the year. Fortunately, there are a few more things we as employers can do to show our support for our employees who care.
Use events like Carers Week to start the conversation, just talking about it can make a massive difference in the lives of your carer employees.
Connect working carers to support like employee assistance programs or charities for carers.
Introduce and promote flexible working policies.
Introduce paid carer's leave so that carers are not forced to take annual leave for caring emergencies
Set up a carers' staff network in your workplace to let them know they aren’t alone
Host training sessions for management on how to support and manage carer employees.
Do you have any members of staff who seem to be struggling with juggling work and providing care? Are you unsure how to approach the situation, or would you just like a bit of guidance in supporting them? We’d be happy to help - get in touch with Rathbone HR Solutions today.