Supporting working carers

Supporting working carers – a guide for employers

How Do You Do It have been running coaching programmes and workshops for employees with caring responsibilities since 2018 and we have heard similar accounts from all our participants about their concerns, constraints and what would help them balance their caring responsibilities with their careers. We’ve created a short guide for employers that outlines some of the typical challenges working carers face and some tips for how to best support them.

Exploring topics such as:

• Isolation – becoming a carer is not a celebrated or planned life event. This can make it hard for carers to talk openly about their responsibilities or even know how or when to bring the topic into workplace conversations. Conversely, colleagues often shy away from asking about a carer’s situation for fear of causing upset.
• Unpredictability – caring responsibilities often do not stay static and the demands on the carer can vary over time. This makes it hard for working carers to plan long term. Many carers have feelings of guilt about letting their team down when their plans change suddenly or worry or about others’ perceptions of their commitment.
• The unique nature of caring – – the type of caring responsibilities someone has, the impact caring has on their life and the range of other support they can access will vary enormously for each carer. This can compound feelings of isolation as carers feel no one understands their particular situation. It also makes it harder for organisations to neatly package support for carers within a single programme when everyone’s situation is different.

The guide is intended to provide employers with insight into some of the key areas of concern for people with caring responsibilities, along with details of a range of support measures employers can implement to counter some of the challenges often faced by working carers.

Download our guide to supporting working carers here.