Almost A Quarter Of Working Carers Have Considered Giving Up Their Job

A new report states that 24% of working carers have considered giving up their job altogether.

New Research On Working Carers

New research commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and compiled by the University of Sheffield, looked at how this country's 3.7 million working carers balance their responsibilities as carers at home with their jobs. They found that nearly half of working carers are struggling to balance their careers with their caring responsibilities, and that of the 970 working carers surveyed, 24% of them had actively considered giving up their jobs. The report also found that:-

• 44% of carers are finding it difficult to balance their careers with their caring commitments
• 28% of carers who work full time, also provided over 30 hours of care per week
• 36% of carers have had to turn down promotional opportunities and/or job offers due to their responsibilities as a carer
• 60% of carers stated that they have suffered from poor mental health as a result of having to combine their work with their caring responsibilities. According to the report: "mental wellbeing is higher among working carers in organisations that provide support: among those working in organisations that provided support for working carers, 43% reported high wellbeing compared with just 31% in organisations providing no support."
• 30% of carers have had to reduce their working hours to accommodate their caring commitments
• Just 11% of carers stated that they had encountered no difficulties and no stress whatsoever in balancing their job with their caring commitments
• 28% of carers have never discussed their caring commitments with their employer, with 39% of that 28% stating that their reasons for not having a discussion were that they did not believe it would make any difference
• Just 9% of carers are employed by an organisation that provides paid leave for employees with caring commitments, whilst 46% of carers have had to use annual holiday entitlement in relation to matters connected with their caring responsibilities.

Two of the recommendations made by the report call for greater flexible working rights and a statutory right to paid leave for working carers, two measures advocated in a previous report by the Centre For Ageing Better. 

Paid Leave For Working Carers

Every year, Carers UK holds a carers rights day. Last year, that took place on the 21st November 2019, and this years event will take place on the 26th November 2020. Carers UK state that: "Each year we hold Carers Rights Day to bring organisations across the UK together to help carers in their local community know their rights and find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to.....Every day 6,000 people become carers but often it’s not something we’ve planned for. This Carers Rights Day we’re focusing on supporting people to prepare for the future through our theme: Caring for Your Future. We hold Carers Rights Day to: make carers aware of their rights, let carers know where to get help and support, [and] raise awareness of the needs of carers."

Every year, Carers UK looks to promote greater flexibility at work and paid leave for carers. Through its campaigning, the Government announced in the Queens Speech last December that it would be enacting legislation to introduce a statutory right to 1 weeks leave each year for working carers. Following this announcement, the Government launched a consultation on the proposal, which closes on the 3rd August 2020. Nevertheless, the Government has so far resisted moves to make the said leave, paid leave, and that campaign continues.

Call For More Support From Employers

The CIPD’s senior resourcing and inclusion adviser, Claire McCartney, states: "When working carers feel well supported by their employers, they are more likely to experience better wellbeing and are less likely to consider reducing their hours or quitting their job. Employers can address these issues by making sure they have a clear carer policy or guidance, by supporting flexible working and providing paid carers’ leave. Line managers need to feel supported to help empower carers to manage their work and caring commitments with simple and practical adjustments. This will not only benefit carers, but also their employers who may otherwise struggle to retain staff or see a drop in productivity."