Further to our previous article, new research from Carers UK has found that despite the increase in flexible working during the Covid-19 pandemic, working carers are still struggling to combine their carers responsibilities with their jobs and careers.
New Research on Working Carers
Carers Rights Day 2021 was held on the 25th November 2021. Carers Rights Day is an annual campaign run by Carers UK to highlight the problems encountered by carers, including working carers, and to raise awareness amongst carers themselves as to their rights and where they can seek help and assistance.
To coincide with Carers Rights Day 2021, Carers UK have just published a new report entitled: 'Supporting carers at work: opportunity and imperative.' This new research found that:-
- 62% of working carers have had to sacrifice career opportunities, as part of balancing their caring responsibilities with their work
- 72% of carers who also work remain concerned about whether they will continue to be able to combine work with their caring responsibilities
- 77% of carers who also work report that the struggle they face in juggling work with their caring responsibilities makes them feel tired at work
- 52% of working carers stated that flexible working had made it easier for them to combine their work with their caring responsibilities. However, 61% of full time working carers, and 53% overall, stated that a return to the office would make it more difficult for them to combine the roles. 63% however stated that being able to work away from home gave them a break from their caring responsibilities.
Flexible Working Is Key
An understanding employer / line manager and flexible working are the two factors regarded as most important by working carers in terms of being able to juggle work and their caring responsibilities. Indeed 12% of them state that they would either have to reduce their hours or give up work altogether if flexible working was no longer available.
As we highlighted in a previous article, 24% of working carers have at one time or another actively considered giving up their jobs due to a lack of support.
Working Carers: Unpaid Leave
As part of its wider remit, Carers UK looks to promote greater flexibility at work and paid leave for carers. As a result of campaigning by groups such as Carers UK, the Government announced in the Queens Speech in December 2019 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 closed on the 3rd August 2020.
The Government published its response to the consultation in September 2021, and committed to introducing a new statutory right to one weeks (i.e. five working days) unpaid leave for carers. This measure will almost certainly form part of the new Employment Bill, which is expected next year in 2022.
In its response, the Government stated that working carers will have a day 1 right to 1 week’s unpaid carers leave. This can be used flexibly, with an employee entitled to take from as little as half a day at a time, or to take the whole week at once.
Whilst the new right to 1 week’s leave for working carers will be unpaid, as opposed to paid, Carers UK described the announcement as “an important step forward.”
On behalf of Carers UK, its Chief Executive, Helen Walker, stated: “Giving employees with caring responsibilities a legal right to unpaid carer’s leave and the ability to request flexible working from day one of starting their job is an important step forward for UK workers and could make a difference to millions – enabling carers to support their relatives whilst staying in work, maintaining social connections and improving their financial stability.“
With respect to the new report which Carers UK have just published, Helen Walker added: "There is more employers can do to support carers. They can throw workers a lifeline like flexible working and carer’s leave that is not only supportive for carers, but makes good business sense, too. Leading good practice employers have demonstrated that supporting carers and providing greater flexibility is not only desirable, it’s also very doable. There’s no time to lose. With labour markets tight, it’s essential for business to maintain productivity levels and keep key staff."
