With three million people in the UK juggling work with caring responsibilities, Acas, the employment relations specialists, is urging employers to help carers within their companies or organisations ahead of Carers week which starts on the 9th June.
Evidence shows that work is important for carers own wellbeing, social inclusion and financial benefits. The theme for Carers week is ëCarers canít afford to be illí. Many Carers are often too pre-occupied or worried about the person they care for to look after their own wellbeing, and if they become ill they are not only unable to look after their dependent but also cannot go to work, impacting negatively on businesses.
The trend of combining work and caring responsibilities is not a short-term issue and is set to continue. Some businesses already have flexible working policies in place and evidence shows it not only benefits the employees but also the employers through increased productivity, reduced overheads, and improved staff retention rates.
Gill Trevelyan, Head of Training and Equality Services at Acas, said: ìEmployers should be aware of anyone in their organisation who has caring responsibilities and make sure they are familiar with the regulations and any company policies that apply to carers.
ìOften carers try and cope alone and donít seek help until it gets too much. We would advise employers to speak to carers within their organisation to see if there are ways they can help them resolve any challenges they may be having balancing work and caring responsibilities. This will not only ease the burden for the carer but in the long-run can benefit businesses by reducing absence.î
Parents with children under the age of six or disabled children under the age of eighteen, have the right to apply to their employer to work more flexibly, and this also applies to the carers of adults. So if you are a business with employees who are also carerís what should you do? Acas suggests this five-point action plan:
Knowledge ñ know where you stand as an employer - find out about the regulations that apply to carers and review your company policies
Listen ñ to the situation from the employeeís perspective. This will help you to understand their circumstances and recognise what pressure they are under from their caring responsibilities
Talk ñ discuss the options not only with the employee but also their colleagues and consider what changes to their work pattern i.e. introducing flexible working, may have on their colleagues and the business as a whole
Be objective ñ if considering an application or multiple applications for carers to request flexible working it is important to remain objective and not let emotions cloud your judgement
Take action ñ this may involve accepting a request for flexible working, discussing a compromise or rejecting the request. If the request is rejected it is important to set out clear business reasons for the rejection.
Acas produce a free advice leaflet - The right to apply for flexible working, A short guide for employers, working parents and carers which is available at www.acas.org.uk, and employers and employees can also call the helpline on 08457 47 47 47.
Acas urges businesses to help employees who juggle work and caring responsibilities
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