Employers must plan now to support working carers
Of the 1.25 million employees across Europe that care for elderly, sick or disabled relatives, 90% are in their prime employment years, aged 30 plus. Demand to provide care peaks for employees between the ages of 45-64, the point at which many are striding career-wise and possess vital knowledge and experience. While men are carers, the majority of sole carers are women. Employers that want to hold on to this talent need a clear plan to support working carers - a plan that can’t come soon enough.
Each day 600 UK carers resign from paid work saying they can’t manage both their career and caring role. It’s easy to see why. The majority (72%) work full time with over a third providing 30 plus hours of care a week. Juggling full-time care with full-time work is exhausting.
The rest are muddling through. Over half have “carers guilt”, worried they’re not doing a good job at work or home. Nearly a quarter have turned down a promotion or job offer and 30% have reduced working hours.
To shape effective support, we first need to understand the struggle working carers face. Unlike parenthood, becoming a carer to an elderly or sick relative isn’t planned. Often it creeps up as a result of a fall or progressive disease. It’s normal for an employee to have been caring for some time before they consider themselves a carer or ask for support.
Thrust into unchartered territory, carers can spend hours each day navigating medical, legal and support services. Illness and old age carve their own path, making life unpredictable and difficult to plan or articulate what support is needed. Unlike babies, elder loved ones have their own view on how they wish to be cared for. Love-centred care is heart and backbreaking work.
With an ageing population and declining birth rate, muddling through won’t do. Instead employers need a sustainable plan that supports working carers to thrive. The good news is that when an employer intentionally supports working carers it has a positive impact on the employee’s wellbeing, productivity and attachment to work, while attrition-related recruitment and training costs go down.
Best practice employers typically offer programmes that include a mix of policy, practice and employee benefits targeted to support the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of carers. In our experience helping clients, there are five design principles that drive an effective programme.
The first step is to ensure leaders and stakeholders adopt a prevention-first mindset. It is always better to catch an employee wellbeing issue in the early stages to prevent a problem escalating into a more complex issue that’s costly and time-consuming to fix. Yes, support should include help for employees at crisis point but the bulk should focus on preventative measures that help employees and managers recognise the challenges they face and co-create coping strategies.
Second, survey staff to understand the size of your working carer population, scope required support and shape a working carer policy. Recognise that as a newly acknowledged issue a lot of need for carer support will be hidden and some employees will be reticent to identify themselves as a carer for fear of discrimination. Frame your request with an acknowledgement that the majority of carers are engaged in a ‘silent struggle’ at work and that needs to change.
Aligned to this goal, establish a comms programme for leaders to speak openly about their own care responsibilities, to normalise discussion about care across all levels of the organisation and remind carers of available support.
Third, offer flexible working practices. Paid leave is becoming a legal must, but carers value the normality work offers and the opportunity to hold onto their pre-carer self, so make sure you support them to carrying on working until care requirements dictate otherwise.
Fourth, establish a working carer ERG to offer a listening ear, practical advice and help shape policy. Related to this point, keep listening to staff and adapt policy and practice.
Finally, and in our experience, it is of critical importance to support line managers supporting carers. Research shows that carers are most likely to disclose care responsibilities to their line manager and not HR or Occupational health. Line managers are best placed to agree flexible working arrangements that meet the needs of the carer as well as the team and business delivery.
With the right support, line managers as coaches are best placed to spot early warning signs of deterioration in a carer’s mental health and signpost relevant support - to look forward and anticipate the need to adapt support as circumstances change.
I can’t emphasise how urgent this issue is. Japan is the forerunner and kitchen lab for solutions to the ageing population and declining birth rate facing most G22 countries. The Japanese PM has declared the country is on the verge of not functioning. The USA is six years off this point, with Asia and the UK not far behind. Forewarned is forearmed.
