Work and carers

This article summarizes:

·         the demands of caring

·         its possible effects on people at work

·         where working carers can get help and support.

The national picture

Around 660,000 people in Scotland, that’s one in eight adults, have unpaid caring responsibilities. In time, caring is likely to affect every one of us, whether we need it, or need to provide it. In fact, 31,000 people become carers every year, and three in five of us will become carers at some point in our lives.

The majority of carers are of working age and most (63%) are women. More than 250,000 of Scotland’s carers are holding down a job.

Carers look after someone at home – a parent, a partner or a child who:

·         is ill

·         has had an accident or a stroke

·         has a disability or special need.

Caring can be a round the clock activity: 150,000 of Scottish carers provide more than fifty hours’ care a week.

In September 2005, the then Scottish Executive launched the report: ‘Care 21: The future of unpaid care in Scotland’. This was the first study of its kind in Europe, based on surveys, interviews and focus groups with over 4,000 carers and former carers. The report envisaged a ‘rights based’ approach to carers and made 22 recommendations to ‘create an agenda for even more change in the way that carers are valued and supported in our society…’ (Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care).

 Caring responsibilities and their possible effect

Caring can involve a whole range of tasks:

·         help with shopping, cooking and housework

·         giving medicine

·         help with physical activities like bathing, toileting, dressing, getting up and down stairs

·         lifting in and out of bed

·         providing emotional support.

Caring can be rewarding and fulfilling, but it can also be stressful. It can interfere with your family and social life and may well have an impact on your health. The last census showed that carers are twice as likely as non-carers to suffer long-term ill health.

Common causes include:

·         lack of sleep or disrupted sleep

·         lifting without proper help

·         isolation

·         anxiety

·         being constantly on call and not having regular breaks.

 The more common symptoms include:

·         back problems

·         depression

·         exhaustion

·         loss of confidence and self esteem.

The working carer

If you are a working carer, you have two jobs, one of them unpaid. Your paid job is often your lifeline to the outside world because it gives you:

·         independence and income

·         social contact.

However, you don’t want your employer to feel that you’re less able to do your paid job because of pressures at home. So conflicts can arise when:

·         you need to take time off to deal with emergencies, to go to hospital appointments or arrange alternative care when you’re not at home

·         you are so tired you cannot concentrate, either at home or at work

·         you feel guilty, not just worrying about how things are at home but also for not performing as well as you feel you should when you’re at work

·         you hold back from going for the promotion or further training you want because you feel you cannot give it the commitment it deserves.

It does not help if:

·         your work involves schedules you cannot change and deadlines you cannot meet

·         your organisation has a long hours culture

·         your manager is unsympathetic and your colleagues don’t understand

·         you have a lot of travelling.

New Rights for Carers

Since April 2007, you can ask for flexible working conditions if:  

• you are responsible for bringing up a child or children under 6 or a disabled child under 18 and you need more time to care for them
• you are the carer of a spouse, partner, civil partner or relative, or someone who lives at the same address as you do, and you need more time to care for them.  

You must normally have worked for your employer for 26 weeks.

In these cases, your employer must seriously consider your request and discuss it with you. See the article on Family friendly employment law for further details.

To find out where you stand, first:

·         speak to your employer or your trade union representative or contact your company’s personnel or welfare department

·         speak to your colleagues, you may be surprised how many are in the same situation.

The simple fact of sharing your situation with people you trust and getting their support and understanding can be helpful in itself. You should also think about practical things that could help. It might be a small thing like, a parking space near the exit so that you can make a quick getaway, or your own phone line so that you can keep in touch with home.

At a certain point you may also have to consider major changes in your working life like:

·         reduced or flexible working hours

·         alternative leave arrangements

·         working from home

·         a career break. 

How can your employer help?

An increasing number of employers recognise that they will retain skilled and experienced staff by taking a flexible approach. 

Promoting support for carers in the workplace also makes good business sense. The organisational benefits include:

·         reduced staff turnover and absenteeism

·         improved staff morale and motivation.

Employees benefit from formal carer friendly employment policies which:

·         help carers to stay in work for as long as possible

·         support carers returning to work after a period of full time caring.

The practical support of managers and colleagues and the development of trusting relationships are, however, often just as important to the working carer.

Useful contacts

Web: http://www.carers.gov.uk/

Web: http://www.carerscotland.org/

Web: http://www.carersuk.org/Employersforcarers