SUPPORTING CARERS
IN THE WORKPLACE
A practical guide for employers
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 3
2 WHAT IS CARING? 3
3 THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUPPORTING CARERS 5
4 HOW CARERS WOULD LIKE TO BE SUPPORTED 6
5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION 8
HR AND DIVERSITY PRACTITIONERS
LINE MANAGERS
6 AVIVA CASE STUDY 11
7 APPENDIX 14
CARERS PASSPORT TEMPLATE
RESOURCES
8 REFERENCES 16
INTRODUCTION
More and more employees are informally caring for elderly parents
and family members – and the number is set to grow.
The ability to support and retain informal carers in the workplace is
increasingly important for UK business.
This toolkit provides the knowledge and practical advice your
business needs to support informal carers. It includes best practice
support for carers from Aviva, a template ‘carers passport’ and other
resources.
WHAT IS CARING?
Caring involves providing care and support to people that is not part
of a paid job. Caring can include: helping a person with shopping,
preparing their meals and feeding, doing household chores, filling in
forms, managing money, dressing and washing, attending
appointments, as well as providing emotional support.
Parents are the main recipients of unpaid care.
1
Other recipients
include partners, spouses, cohabitees, sons/daughters, other
relatives or non-relatives. In 2015/16, 44% of all informal carers
provided care to someone living within their household and 58%
provide care to somebody living outside their household.
2
One in four
of the UK’s adult population have experienced ‘sandwich caring’ at
some point in their lives: providing care for a dependent child or
grandchild, as well as an elderly parent.
3
Due to increased mobility, many carers provide care from a distance.
This is defined as supporting or providing unpaid care for an ill, frail or
disabled relative, partner or friend who may be living in another town,
region or country.
4
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What is the financial cost?
The UK currently relies on unpaid carers. Official data shows that
spend on social care in England has decreased in real terms since
2010, and the total spend on social care was £17 billion last year.
One in ten people in the UK (6.5 million) are informal carers,
5
and if
the time they spent caring was replaced with paid carers or nursing
assistants, it would cost the UK £57 billion.
6
A growing issue for older workers
As the population ages, the number of informal carers is set to rise
from six million to nine million over the next 30 years.
7
This mostly
affects older workers because three in five carers are over the age of
50, and 55-64 is the peak age for caring.
8
In 2015/16, 33% of all adult informal carers were in full-time
employment (44% of men and 26% of women).
9
Women providing
informal care were much more likely to be in part-time employment
than men. 23% of female carers worked part-time compared to 9% of
male carers.
10
A growing issue for business
One in nine people in your workforce are caring for someone who is
older, disabled or seriously ill.
11
Growing numbers of employees will
be taking on caring responsibilities whilst continuing to work, many of
whom will struggle to balance the two effectively. Caring can be hard
work, both physically and emotionally, and this can inevitably affect a
carer’s working life.
With fewer younger people set to enter the workplace and a growing
retired population, the country is facing an unprecedented skills and
workforce shortage. Employers need to make the most of the over-
50s to fill workforce shortages, and doing so requires supporting
those with caring responsibilities.
Employers must seek to understand and support their working carers
in order to retain them in the workforce and maintain their wellbeing
and productivity.
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THE BUSINESS CASE FOR
SUPPORTING CARERS
Improve productivity: Employers who have policies in place to
support carers see improved service delivery, cost savings and
increased productivity.
12
Reduce turnover costs: Balancing care with work can be difficult,
and many carers end up leaving work altogether, particularly if they
do not receive support from their employer. The employment rate for
those aged 50-64 who spend more than 10 hours a week caring is
56%, which is significantly lower for those of the same age without
any caring responsibilities: 74% for men and 64% for women.
Retain skills and reduce recruitment costs: The peak age for
carering is when many will have developed valuable skills,
experience, knowledge and personal and professional networks. If a
carer leaves work, their employer loses a valuable employee, as well
as accumulating recruitment and training costs.
Improve brand to attract talent: The pool of people over 50, and
those with caring responsibilities, is growing. Demonstrating support
for carers can help businesses attract the best talent. Furthermore, as
most carers aged 50-64 are female, it can support gender diversity
goals.
Close the gender pay gap: Carers are mostly female
13
, so
supporting them to stay in work and balance caring with progression
at work can contribute towards reducing the gender pay gap. The
gender pay gap is largest amongst people aged 50-59, and the peak
age for caring is 55-64.
Reap the rewards of intergenerational working: Helping older
workers to manage their caring responsibilities alongside work
enables them to continue working for longer. This can help to
increase age diversity and intergenerational learning.
A workforce that reflects the age diversity of the customer base will
help businesses deliver the best possible customer service, as their
people will relate to their customers. They will also have invaluable
insight into the products and services that will be most successful.
Research by Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD)
found that age-diverse teams enhance customer service.
14
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HOW CARERS WOULD LIKE
TO BE SUPPORTED
Whilst government is responsible for funding health and social care, it
is crucial that businesses support informal carers to remain in work.
At present, not enough support is provided, and too many carers are
leaving work altogether.
• Only a third of employers (34%) have a formal written policy or an
informal verbal policy in place to support carers – decreasing to only
18% for private sector employers.
15
• Carers UK and Employers for Carers found that nearly one in four
carers (23%) do not receive any support from their employer.
• Employers for Carers found that 71% of working carers have felt
lonely or isolated in the workplace as a result of being a carer.
16
• Carers UK report that over a third (35%) of carers have given up
work to care and 16% have reduced their hours.
17
• Only 4% of carers say caring has no impact on their capacity to
work.
18
• 43% of carers feel that colleagues and managers do not understand
the impact of caring.
19
• A survey of distance carers found that 43% felt their work had been
negatively affected by caring and that they felt tired, stressed and
anxious. One in ten cared for more than one person.
20
What type of support do carers want?
Most carers (62%) prefer an ‘enabling’ organisation that gives carers
permission to respond as and when they need to.
21
Only 18% of
carers prefer a ‘hand-holding’ organisation - one that intervenes in the
employees’ situations.
Flexible working and paid Carers Leave can help to reduce the
amount of leave taken to care.
Providing more and better information, and signposting to external
support, can be extremely helpful for carers. Only 42% of the UK
public would feel confident pointing people in the direction of
information about caring
22
, so the workplace can be a crucial source
of information.
According to a 2011 survey into distance carers, 44% would like more
publicity about issues related to caring in their workplace.
23
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Many people do not recognise themselves as ‘carers’ – either
because they do not want that label (they are just doing things for
people they love), or they don’t recognise that what they’re doing
actually equates to being a carer.
Raising awareness of caring internally could encourage people to
seek the support that they need.
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
ACTION
Recommendations for HR and Diversity
Practitioners
Collating data and insight
• Analyse your business risk: how many carers are there in your
workforce, and are you facing workforce or skills shortages?
• When measuring the number of carers, use the statistic in this
report (1 in 9 workers as carers) as a first point of reference. Asking
carers to come forward before securing senior buy-in for carer
support may raise expectations.
• Understand the needs of carers in your workforce. Consider using
surveys and focus groups. Using both allows greater interaction with
carers as some may not feel comfortable in a focus group scenario
and a survey can remain anonymous.
Getting senior people on board
• Develop your business case for action, including the risk to
your own business and the solutions.
Setting goals that can be measured
• Goals could include improved retention, engagement,
productivity, wellbeing and satisfaction amongst carers in your
workforce, as well as more carers being able to self-identify.
Raising awareness
• An internal awareness-raising campaign can enable people to
self-identify as carers, and increase understanding and
empathy.
• Use a variety of communications channels to share personal
stories of caring whilst working, policy updates and the type of
support available.
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Empowering line managers
• Train and empower line managers so that they are able to
respond to the needs of their employees with caring
responsibilities with autonomy and confidence.
• Encourage informal flexible working and autonomy in their
teams. Communicate guidelines for accepting or refusing
flexible working requests.
Supporting carers
• Consider whether you can provide any paid carers leave. If
you can then provide this in hours. Think about what you could
provide and focus on that. Even a small amount of paid leave
could make a big difference.
• Create a carers portal with resources and signpost to external
advisory services and local authorities. Ensure all employees
can access a computer in their workplace.
• A peer-led carers network with a senior level champion or
chair can encourage support between staff. Appointing a
senior level person to front an employee network is vital for
driving change.
• Encourage staff to become ‘Carers Champions’ to increase
visibility of carers, create role models and promote the
balancing of work and care.
• Consider providing counselling or wellbeing support to carers.
• Embed a flexible working culture across the organisation.
Ensure it is seen as a business solution, and not as a benefit
for certain groups.
Monitoring activity
• Seek feedback from carers and line managers to inform your
policy development and improvement.
• Monitor progress against your initial goals and key
performance indicators.
• Monitor changes in employee surveys among the caring
population.
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Recommendations for line managers
Become an inclusive leader
• Offer and encourage the same training and development
opportunities to carers as to all staff, including those working
flexibly.
• 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.
Use and promote tools and guides
• Use the Carers Passport (see Appendix) to help you approach
carers in your team, open up the conversation and find
solutions.
• Promote the Carers Passport, the company policy on carers
and other guides and information as part of your team
communications.
Normalise flexible working in your team
• If flexible working has been signed off by your seniors, embed
it within your entire team and not just for carers, so that
negative stigma is removed.
• 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.
1 Building the case for action
Aviva can see very clear business reasons
to improve their support for working carers.
It reduces sickness absence and improves
retention and productivity, all of which
significantly impact business costs.
Supporting carers is part of Aviva’s
wellbeing strategy. They found that taking
on caring responsibilities is a stressful
experience and introducing a Carer Policy
helps carers to manage that stress.
One in nine people in work in the UK are
carers.
24
At Aviva, that ratio equates to
around 1,800 employees.
The Aviva carers initiative has support from
senior management and is led by the Chair
of the Bristol Carer’s Network. Aviva drew
on personal experience and emotional
understanding of caring to get senior people
on board.
2 Research and piloting
Aviva used multiple methods to learn about
the needs of carers and their managers.
• A pilot project in the Bristol office, to
understand more about the needs of
carers and their managers and inform the
development of a Carers Policy.
• Engagement with employee representative
bodies who were very supportive of a
focus on carers.
• The use of expertise from external
organisations such as Carers UK.
• A review of the questions being asked of
HR in relation to carers.
• A review of policies and offerings for other
groups, such as parents, to see if any
could be replicated for carers.
• A survey of 1,000 consumers across the
UK to understand their caring
commitments.
3 The findings and feedback
Aviva identified some key areas of focus to
help carers balance work and caring.
• A published Carers Policy that is clear
about the support offered and reinforces
Aviva’s commitment to supporting carers.
• Providing additional paid time off to enable
carers to accompany dependants to
planned appointments, an important part of
many carers’ lives.
• Providing this time off in hours rather than
days. Aviva found that carers often need
just a short time away from work (for
example, an hour) and so may not need
full days off.
• Carers said they would however value the
opportunity to take a longer period of
unpaid leave for the occasional times that
they need to focus fully on caring.
AVIVA CASE STUDY: A STEP BY STEP APPROACH TO DEVELOPING SUPPORT FOR CARERS
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4. Additional findings
• Providing the opportunity for carers to
provide support for one another through
employee led carer networks.
• They also found they should publicise
some of their existing offerings in the
carers policy, for example the ability to
take paid leave in an emergency, and
access to a confidential external employee
assistance programme.
• Additionally, they found that managers
preferred training and support on specific
situations they were managing in relation
to carers rather than a formal training
programme.
5 Support introduced for carers
• 35 hours of paid time off to deal with
emergencies and an additional 35 hours of
paid time off for planned appointments.
• Information about flexible working and how
it can be practiced effectively.
• Right to request longer-term leave. The
four weeks per annum (18 weeks
maximum overall) has been opened up to
both parents and carers.
• Signposting to the Employers for Carers
portal, as Aviva is a member.
• A carers and parents community made up
of colleagues called ‘Aviva Carers’. This
global network provides the opportunity for
mutual support networks, a key element of
helping people maintain fulfilling careers at
Aviva while caring.
• More flexibility in bereavement leave.
Sadly, caring often ends in a death, and
people may need flexibility and an
individualised approach to taking leave, for
both practical and emotional reasons.
• Access to an employee assistance
programme.
• Managers can contact Aviva’s Leader
Advice team as and when they need
training.
• The policy does not require proof of caring
as it can be difficult for informal carers to
provide this.
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6. Raising awareness
• Communications were shared internally
with all colleagues, highlighting Aviva’s
commitment to carers. They included a
personal story of a colleague with caring
responsibilities. There was a very positive
reaction internally with a high level of
support expressed, including from those
who currently have no caring
responsibilities.
• The internal awareness-raising illustrates
Aviva’s commitment to supporting carers,
and importantly gives permission to both
carers and managers to take a person-
centred, flexible approach to managing
caring responsibilities and wellbeing.
7. Future Actions
• Continuing roll-out of the Carers Passport.
This is a valuable tool which can be used
by carers to facilitate a conversation about
their needs. It can also be very helpful if
carers change role or managers as their
caring needs are recorded and are carried
forward into a new role. You can find a
template Carers Passport that you can use
in the Appendix.
• Monitor and improve their management
information on carers. For example, by
using the annual employee survey to
analyse the carer population’s wellbeing
and engagement.
• Keep talking to their carers network to
ensure the policy is fit for purpose.
APPENDIX
What is the Carer Passport?
The Carers Passport is designed to support discussions
between carers and line managers/HR on the support
needed to balance work with caring. It aims to maximise
the potential of each employee and remove any barriers
to inclusion and progression at work.
Carers record who was involved in the conversation,
when it happened and the agreed outcomes. A review
would normally take place every six months but it can
be more frequent if the carer’s circumstances change.
The document should be kept confidential once
completed and can be stored by the carer themselves.
More Carers Passport resources can be found on the
Government sponsored Carers Passports website
CARERS PASSPORT TEMPLATE
[Outline what the Carers Passport is, it’s purpose and how it can be used]
This passport can be completed by any employee who has caring responsibilities
which may impact their work at present, or in the future.
To get started, have a meeting with your line manager and/or HR representative.
Record the conversation, the date and agreed outcomes in this document.
Who owns this document: __________________________________________
Who was involved in the conversation: ________________________________
Date of meeting: __________________________________________________
Notes / outcomes:_________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Review date: _____________________________________________________
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RESOURCES
For Employers
Case study: Supporting Carers at Aviva BITC
Toolkit: Supporting older workers through transitions
BITC
Research and Policy: Employers for Carers Resources Employers
for Carers
Business case: Why is supporting working carers so important now?
Employers for Carers
Report: Creating an enabling for carers in the workplace CIPD
Report: Supporting Working Carers: The Benefits to Families,
Business and the Economy Carers in Employment Task and Finish
Group
Report: Helping employers supporting working carers The Work
Foundation
For Carers
Guide: Balancing work and care: a carer's guide
Skills for Care
Guide: Your statutory rights in work Carers UK
Toolkit: Being heard: a guide to self-advocacy for carers
Carers UK
Advice line: Carers UK Advice line | 0808 808 7777
Guide: Looking after someone – information and support for carers
Carers UK
REFERENCES
1 DWP and ONS (2017) Family Resources Survey 2015/16. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6004
65/family-resources-survey-2015-16.pdf
2 Ibid
3 Ibid
4 Carers UK (2011) Caring at a Distance: bridging the gap. Available at:
https://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/caring-at-a-distance
5 Carers UK (2018) Make Connections, Get Support. https://www.carersuk.org/for-
professionals/policy/policy-library/make-connections-get-support
6 ONS (2017)
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/health
andlifeexpectancies/articles/unpaidcarersprovidesocialcareworth57billion/2017-07-
10
7 Employers for Carers: Business Case. Available at:
http://www.employersforcarers.org/membership/business-case
8 DWP and ONS (2017) Family Resources Survey 2015/16. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6004
65/family-resources-survey-2015-16.pdf
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
11 Employers for Carers: Business Case. Available at:
http://www.employersforcarers.org/membership/business-case
12 Carers UK for Employers for Carers/Department of Health Task and Finish
Group (2013) Employers Business Benefits Survey. Available at:
http://www.employersforcarers.org/resources/research/item/809-employers-
business-benefits-survey
13 DWP and ONS (2017) Family Resources Survey 2015/16. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6004
65/family-resources-survey-2015-16.pdf
14 CIPD. 2014. Managing an age-diverse workforce. Available at:
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/diversity/age-diversity-
insights-report
15 CIPD and Westfield Health. 2016. Creating an enabling future for carers in the
workplace https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/well-being/enabling-carers
16 Employers for Carers and Carers UK (2015) Caring and isolation in the
workplace https://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/caring-
and-isolation-in-the-workplace
17 Carers UK (2018) State of caring 2018. Available at:
https://www.carersuk.org/images/Downloads/SoC2018/State-of-Caring-report-
2018.pdf
18 Ibid
19 Employers for Carers and Carers UK (2015) Caring and isolation in the
workplace https://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/caring-
and-isolation-in-the-workplace
20 Carers UK (2011) Caring at a Distance: bridging the gap. Available at:
https://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/caring-at-a-distance
21 CIPD and Westfield Health. 2016. Creating an enabling future for carers in the
workplace https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/well-being/enabling-carers
22 Carers UK (2018) Make Connections, Get Support. https://www.carersuk.org/for-
professionals/policy/policy-library/make-connections-get-support
23 Carers UK (2011) Caring at a Distance: bridging the gap. Available at:
https://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/caring-at-a-distance
24 Employers for Carers: Business Case. Available at:
http://www.employersforcarers.org/membership/business-case
