Supporting carers in the workplace

Chapter 1

Identifying carers in the workplace

This chapter aims to help increase understanding of the different sort of caring situations that may arise, the challenges staff face in identifying themselves as carers, and how reps can help raise awareness.

What sort of caring situations may workers be facing?

As our population ages, and lives longer with illness and disability, more and more workers are being affected by caring. Already an estimated one in seven people juggle work with unpaid care for someone who is older, disabled or ill, and in some sectors this number is higher (one in three in the NHS). Yet caring is often still invisible in many workplaces, with carers ‘hidden in plain sight’.

Carers UK research suggests that it takes people two years on average to recognise themselves as a carer.

In the workplace, some of the reasons given include:

• Many did not see themselves as carers, as caring is often ‘something that ‘just happens to you’ and is not planned and is not a choice. For example, it can ‘happen overnight’ if a dependant is taken ill suddenly, or it may ‘creep up on you gradually’ if they need increasing levels of help to continue to live independently.

• Caring situations can vary enormously so some carers did not recognise ‘anyone like me’ in the workplace. For instance, caring may involve supporting a parent, partner, sibling, disabled child or combining care for an older relative with day-to-day childcare responsibilities.

• Many carers did not think that workplace support applied to them.

• Many others felt uncomfortable about discussing personal, sometimes emotionally difficult, issues at work.

• Juggling a caring role alongside work can often be physically, emotionally and financially challenging. Carers often face additional time pressures and worries due to their caring responsibilities and felt unable or reluctant to raise their support needs at work.

This is why Carers UK, its business forum Employers for Carers and trade unions, recommend that employers should put in place policies to support people balancing work and care, and raise awareness of available support in the workplace so that carers feel included and supported at work. 

How can union reps help raise awareness of carers in the workplace?

• Consider mapping or surveying the workplace to see the extent of caring. This will help to identify specific issues and needs and inform later discussions with the employer. Assessing the scale of the issue and the impact on staff members and the employer is a powerful tool, and the mapping can be done informally or formally. For instance, you could ask about caring responsibilities among your membership and also encourage employers to hold a staff survey that covers caring. This is a useful way to help identify caring issues and potential numbers of carers within the workforce.

• Explaining that carers may find it difficult or uncomfortable to talk about their caring situation at work, especially if facing upsetting personal circumstances. For instance, caring situations can be particularly distressing if someone close to you is taken ill suddenly or receives a terminal diagnosis. Raising this point is important to help increase employer and line manager understanding of what caring can involve and why it can be so hard for carers to come forward for support. Evidence from Carers UK suggests that many workers also worry that employers will consider them less committed to their job and feel at risk if they request support, particularly in a workplace environment of cost-cutting, restructuring or redundancies.

• Being aware of legal rights in the workplace that are relevant to carers including: the right to five days’ unpaid carer’s leave which came into force in April 2024, time off for dependants in emergencies, parental leave, protection from discrimination and the right to request flexible working (see chapter 2).

• Considering how these basic rights and protections can be improved upon through negotiation (see chapters 3 and 4).

• Understanding and promoting the benefits of supporting carers in the workplace both for employers and workers (see chapter 5).

Chapter 2

Employers’ responsibilities for carers at work

What obligations do employers have to support carers in the workplace?

This chapter outlines the main statutory rights and protections that are relevant to carers in the workplace as listed below. The first four apply to employees only and the last (protection from discrimination) to employees and workers:

• The right to time off in emergencies (for unplanned/unforeseen caring circumstances).

• The right to carer’s leave (for planned/foreseen caring circumstances).

• Parental leave.

• The right to request flexible working.

• Protection from discrimination.

(Carers also have rights to information, advice and support outside of work.)

This is the minimum that an employer must do and the starting point for preparation for any negotiations in the workplace. Tips on ensuring that employers are implementing these rights as a start (including questions and answers on the new right to carer’s leave) are covered below.

Some organisations offer more generous provision for carers than the statutory minimum. If so, these are likely to be listed in the contract of employment or included in workplace policies and procedures. In later chapters we also include tips on how these basic rights and protections can be improved upon to better support carers in the workplace including leave arrangements (chapter 3) and flexible working and other support (chapter 4).

The right to time off in emergencies

All employees in the UK have the right to take ‘reasonable time off’ to deal with emergencies and unexpected situations involving a dependant. This can, of course, be helpful in the early stages of caring when sudden, unplanned caring situations arise (and when many employees may not see themselves as ‘carers’). 

Whether the time off is paid or not is at the discretion of the employer. To use this right to time off, the employee must inform their employer as soon as possible after the emergency has happened. This right can also give the employee some protection from victimisation and dismissal.

A ‘dependant’ here includes a spouse or partner, child or parent, or someone living with the employee as part of their family. Others who rely on the employee for help in an emergency may also qualify.

The situations where leave might be taken (which are relevant to caring) are:

• A disruption or breakdown in care arrangements when a dependant falls ill, has been assaulted or in an accident (including when the person is hurt or upset rather than physically injured)

• To make longer-term arrangements for a dependant who is ill or injured (but not to provide long-term care themselves)

• To deal with an incident involving a child during school hours

• To deal with the death of a dependant.

See also Carers UK: time off in emergencies carersuk.org/time-off-in-emergencies

Acas guidance suggests that the time off allowable is normally a day or two, but it depends on what is reasonable in the circumstances acas.org.uk/time-off-for-dependants

Some employers offer paid leave for time off in some circumstances, so it is worth checking what is provided. This may be included in the employer’s leave policy, if there is one, or in a contract of employment, and is sometimes allowed at the discretion of line managers. In workplace policies, time off for emergencies is sometimes covered under the heading of ‘Emergency Leave’, ‘Time off for dependants’ or ‘Special Leave’ (or, more rarely, within a separate ‘Carer’s Leave’ policy).

The right to carer’s leave

Since 6 April 2024, employees in England, Scotland and Wales 1 have a new right under the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 to one week’s unpaid leave per year to ‘provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.’ This right is available from the first day of employment and allows employees to take the leave flexibly, as half or full days, for planned or foreseen caring commitments.

As in the statutory right to time off in emergencies, the term ‘dependant’ here includes the employee’s husband, wife or partner, child or parent, or someone living with them as part of their family. Others who rely on them to provide or arrange care may also qualify.

Under the Carer’s Leave Act, a dependant has a long-term care need if they:

• have a physical or mental illness or injury that requires, or is likely to require, care for more than three months

• have a disability (as defined in the Equality Act 2010)

• require care for a reason connected with their old age.

The Act offers the same employment protections to employees taking the leave that are associated with other forms of family related leave, meaning they will be protected from dismissal or any detriment because of having taken time off.

Information for carers is also available on the Carers UK website here: carersuk.org/carers-leave-act-2023

Questions and answers on the Carer's Leave Act

Parental leave

While mentioning parental leave, it is worth making the distinction between carers and parents in the workplace (ie workers with general parenting responsibilities) as the issues and milestones are different. The caring journey, for example, is often less predictable than childcare, and while a child will usually become more independent as they grow older, an older or disabled adult will often become more dependent on support. So, it is important for employers to be clear about when they are talking about support for carers, and when they are referring to parents with day-to-day childcare responsibilities.

Having said this, parental leave can, of course, be helpful for workers who are balancing caring with wider childcare responsibilities, and indeed also for those who have a child with additional support needs.

Employees in the UK who have at least one year’s continuous service with their employer and are responsible for a child under 18 are entitled to 18 weeks’ statutory unpaid parental leave (per child) to look after their child. 

Leave can be taken in blocks of one week up to a maximum of four weeks leave in a year (for each child); or in one day, or multiples of a day, if the leave is to care for a disabled child, again to a maximum of four weeks in a year. Employees must give at least 21 days’ notice to their employer in order to take parental leave and the leave must be taken by their child's 18th birthday.  

Although the statutory entitlement is unpaid, many organisations also have agreements in place to provide some form of payment for at least some of the 18- week entitlement. They may also offer greater flexibility in how the leave is taken, for example to allow employees to take more than four weeks off in a year.

Employees may also be entitled to Shared Parental Leave. This must be taken between the baby’s birth and first birthday (or within one year of adoption). See: www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay

Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave: The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 came into force in April 2020. This law gives all employed parents a day-one statutory right to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy on or after 6 April 2020. More information is on the Acas website.

Information for carers is also available on the Carers UK website here: carersuk.org/parental-leave

The right to request flexible working

Flexible working may be of particular benefit for members who find it difficult to balance their work life with their caring responsibilities (as well as other personal commitments).

There are two types of requests that can be made: statutory (formal) requests or non-statutory (informal) requests. The statutory right to request flexible working just applies to those who are ‘employees’ and is only a right to ‘request’ with employers currently able to cite a broad range of business-based reasons for refusal. Those who are categorised as ‘worker’ do not have the right to request flexible work so will have to try to negotiate working hours and other flexibilities with their employer.

This chapter mainly covers statutory requests but, in some cases, non-statutory requests might be more appropriate, and these are covered (along with other forms of workplace support) in chapter 4. 

Since 6 April 2024, employees in England, Scotland and Wales 2 have a statutory right to request flexible working from the first day of employment, as long as they have not already made two flexible working requests within the last 12 months.

• Flexible working could include (but is not limited to): flexitime, hybrid working, home working, remote working, annualised hours, compressed hours, staggered hours, shift-swapping, team-based rostering, job sharing, term-time working, part-time working and flexible holidays and voluntary reduced worktime.

• Voluntary reduced worktime is a temporary period of reduced working hours, as agreed between the employer and employee, normally to cover a specific current or anticipated need of the employee. Employees can work fewer hours in exchange for a reduced salary and benefits. The agreement is often set for a certain amount of time, reverting back to standard contractual hours at the end of the period.

Information for carers is also on the Carers UK website here: carersuk.org/right-to-flexible-working

Protection from discrimination

The Equality Act 2010 can help protect employees and workers in England, Scotland or Wales 3 against direct discrimination or harassment in the workplace if they are caring for someone who is older or disabled. This is because they are counted as being 'associated' with someone who is protected by the law (ie someone who has a ‘protected characteristic’) because of their age or disability. If carers are treated less favourably than someone else because they’re caring for an older or disabled person, this is called ‘Discrimination by Association’. 

Examples of this might include: an employer refusing to offer someone a job because of their caring responsibilities, a refusal to grant time off, a lack of promotion, or harassment of a worker because they are also caring for a disabled or older person.

Information for carers is also available on the Carers UK website here: carersuk.org/discrimination-under-the-equality-act-2010

Protection for carers in casual and insecure employment

For workers who are employed in precarious contracts – such as zero-hours, short-term and other casual contracts – the challenges of juggling work and caring can be even more challenging. Many do not have employee status and may be classified as ‘workers’ or ‘self-employed’ – often incorrectly.

Employment status is important because some statutory rights only apply to employees, not workers, including (as mentioned earlier) the right to time off in emergencies, carer’s leave and the right to request flexible working.

So, workers with caring responsibilities who are in insecure employment often find that their rights are greatly reduced, adversely impacting their entitlements to time off for caring and requesting flexible work arrangements.

Reps can therefore help by:

• Establishing the type of employment contract held by workers, Hopefully, your member will have a written contract or a letter that sets out their terms and conditions of employment. It should say whether they are an ‘employee’ or a ‘worker’. If they do not have a written contract they should ask the employer for this information. Your member will need to know what their employment status is in order to work out their statutory rights in the workplace, as mentioned above.

• Negotiating any required support for your member (such as flexible working and leave arrangements) with their employer if they are not classified as an ‘employee’. For example, checking that the employer’s flexible working and leave policies cover workers as well as employees and negotiating for support to be extended if needed.

• Checking with your own union to see if they have any advice or guidance on negotiating support for workers employed on precarious contracts.

Information for carers on their rights in the workplace, including on checking out your employment status, is also available on the Carers UK website here: Carers UK your-rights-in-work

Chapter 3

Leave arrangements

This chapter looks at leave arrangements for both emergency/unforeseen and planned/foreseen caring situations. It includes tips on ensuring that statutory carer’s leave is implemented as a start, and on how basic rights and protections can be improved upon to better support carers in the workplace.

Why do employers need to review their leave arrangements?

From 6 April 2024 the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 has given new rights to over two million employees in England, Scotland and Wales who have caring responsibilities for a dependant with a long-term care need. Previously, any time off to provide or arrange care has been up to the employer’s discretion, with employees in many cases struggling to juggle work with often stressful caring situations.

The Act therefore helps employees who might otherwise use holiday and non-working hours to care for someone who depends upon them for support. It also means that employers should review and update their leave provisions, think about any staff members who may have caring responsibilities and introduce support for them.

How can reps help review current leave provisions?

• Ensure firstly that workplaces are aware of the Carer’s Leave Act and its provisions – see chapter 2 for information including questions and answers about the Act.

How can reps help update and improve leave provisions?

Firstly, for emergency caring situations, employers should already be offering, as a minimum, the statutory right to unpaid time off in emergencies. However, it is not always obvious in the workplace that this applies to caring emergencies, especially if it is just included as part of a much wider emergency or special leave policy.

• It is good practice therefore for employers to communicate clearly any provisions for time off in emergencies (or emergency leave) as being relevant to caring/carers.

• Although the statutory provision does not have to be paid, some employers do offer paid leave for carers in emergencies (or allow this to be paid at line managers’ discretion). Evidence suggests that paid leave can make a real difference for carers, who otherwise often end up taking annual leave or sick leave to cover this.5

Secondly, for planned/foreseen caring situations, some employers already offer leave for caring in such circumstances either within special (or discretionary) leave policies, or more rarely, within a specific carer’s leave policy. Evidence suggests that where such leave may be available for carers within wider special leave etc policies, it is rarely openly described as such, nor promoted specifically to support them. Special Leave often covers a wider range of areas so only mention caring briefly, if at all.

• It is good practice therefore to provide leave for planned/foreseen caring situations via a specific carer’s leave policy, or at the very least, to ensure it is included under a clearly communicated ‘carer’s leave’ heading or category within a wider policy.

• If carer’s leave for planned caring situations is already offered above the requirements of the Carer’s Leave Act – ie if it is paid, or if more than a week’s unpaid leave is available – then it would, of course, be good practice to retain this. However, if this provision has not been described or communicated clearly as relevant to carers, this should also be raised with the employer to ensure that staff with caring responsibilities can take it up.

For both emergency and planned caring situations, it is also good practice for employers to offer the same rights to any staff members with caring responsibilities who are categorised as workers – for example those on casual or short-term contracts – as they do those who are permanent employees.

Examples of leave provisions that have been introduced include:

• An overall carer’s leave policy which brings together both emergency and planned provisions for carers so that leave relevant to caring is all in one place. For instance, some employers have a separate carer’s leave policy (or include this within a wider carer’s policy) and the benefit of this is that it is more visible and therefore easier for carers and managers to find. Other employers provide all leave for carers under a separate heading within a wider Special Leave policy, and, in this case, the key thing is to ensure that this leave is clearly communicated as being relevant to caring, and carers, so that it is taken up.

• Keeping separate emergency and planned leave provisions which both cover relevant leave for relevant caring situations. For instance, some employers have included a clear reference to carers in their Emergency leave/Time off in emergencies provisions and added a specific category for carers in their Special Leave policy to cover leave in planned circumstances. Again, the key thing here is to ensure that carers are clearly covered.

• Some policies also include examples of caring situations that the leave is designed to support. Evidence suggests that this can help both staff members and managers to recognise why and how the leave is relevant, and when and how it can be used.

• Introducing or amending existing leave policies to include a simple and broad definition of carers and dependants. For example, phrases like ‘looking after’ or ‘supporting’ as well as ‘caring for’ to ensure that leave is available to all who may need it, and a wide definition of ‘dependant’ by saying something like ‘a family member or friend’.

• Extending leave provision to all staff members with caring responsibilities who are categorised as workers – for example those on casual or short-term contracts – as well as to permanent employees.

• Introducing a simple process for staff to ‘self-certify’ that they are caring (eg via a simple ‘self-certification’ form, or drop-down option on an online HR system) to help them to identify themselves as carers and take up support.

• Some employers have used the opportunity of the Carer’s Leave Act to review their provision and go beyond the statutory minimum by introducing paid leave.

• Evidence suggests that this can make a real difference for carers, eg when asked in a CIPD survey 6 what form of support would be most useful to them, paid leave was by far the most popular option, followed by flexitime and the ability to work at home on some days. A recent Carers UK report also showed that introducing paid carer’s leave could boost productivity, whilst improving millions of workers’ lives. 7

• The TUC has called for the introduction of statutory paid carer’s leave of 10 days per year and greater control of working hours. In a recent research report 8 Carers UK has also called, as a first step, for the right to five days of unpaid carer’s leave to be turned into paid leave and, in the longer term, would like to see all workers having a statutory right to 10 days’ paid carer’s leave per year.

If paid leave is not provided for caring, then reps could negotiate to achieve a more flexible approach to other leave and working time arrangements and this is covered in chapter 4. 

Chapter 4

Flexible working and other support

This chapter looks at flexible working arrangements and other types of workplace support that can help carers, including signposting to external sources of support. It includes tips on ensuring that statutory rights are implemented here as a start, and on how these basic rights and protections can be improved upon to better support carers in the workplace.

Flexible working arrangements for carers

Flexible working is consistently among carers’ top three priorities for workplace support in research and surveys run by Carers UK. Caring responsibilities are clearly a key reason for workers requesting flexible working arrangements, but carers also report, all too often, that their requests have been refused.

Negotiating more fair and frequent approvals of flexible working requests (both statutory and informal) could therefore be particularly helpful for carers. And indeed, evidence suggests that offering flexible working opportunities plays a key role in helping carers to juggle work and caring and stay in employment with reduced stress and anxiety.

As a start, as with leave arrangements, reps should review what is available in the contract of employment or workplace policies and arrange a meeting with HR to discuss any updates or improvements that may need to be made. 

Examples of flexible working arrangements that have benefited carers, and that reps should request of their employer, include:

• Flexi-hours allowing carers the ability to make up time off that they have taken to meet their caring responsibilities at another time

• Providing matched leave against annual holiday entitlement (such as allowing each day’s leave for caring responsibilities to be counted as half a day’s carer leave and half a day’s annual leave)

• Offering a temporary or permanent change in the workplace, either to working days, hours or location, where this would support a staff member with caring responsibilities

• Offering flexible working arrangements, including minor adjustments, that could help on an occasional, ad hoc basis. For example, this could be a small adjustment in a carer’s working hours on a one-off basis, or allowing them to work from home for part of the day or week

• Providing unpaid leave or a longer unpaid career break while the staff member organises their caring responsibilities whilst keeping the job open to return to

• Offering the same flexible working rights to any staff members (including those with caring responsibilities) who are categorised as workers – eg those on casual or short-term contracts – as they do to permanent employees

• Offering more certain work patterns when helpful for carers. While caring responsibilities may often require flexibility, in some situations, carers may need access to more certain work patterns so that they can plan around more regular caring responsibilities. Sometimes, however, the increased use of zero-hours and other casual work contracts means that a worker’s ability to plan caring around work commitments becomes difficult if not impossible. It is therefore helpful to be aware of the potential negative impacts of such practices.  

Protection from discrimination

Although (as explained in chapter 2), the Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to directly discriminate against or harass a worker who is associated with someone with a protected characteristic, the law is complex and not widely understood or implemented by employers:

• Carers UK’s research 9 published in 2024 found that many unpaid carers have experienced discrimination or harassment. In the workplace, 22 per cent of carers said they had experienced unfair or unfavourable treatment, with nearly a quarter in employment (24 per cent) saying that they had difficulties meeting their employer’s requirements because of their caring role.

• Some carers had challenged discrimination with the support of their union or through seeking legal advice, or by raising concerns or grievances.

Union reps can therefore play a key role by:

• Checking, when negotiating with employers, that any workplace policies on diversity and inclusion or harassment or dignity at work recognise carers (who have protection from ‘discrimination by association’) as well as workers who have ‘protected characteristics’.

• Encouraging employers to educate line managers on why and how to support carers in the workplace

(Organisations like Carers UK’s business forum Employers for Carers provide practical advice and support for employers seeking to develop carer friendly policy and practice and retain skilled workers  – see chapter 7 on resources and further reading.)

Enabling staff to identify themselves as carers  

Union reps can also play an important part in encouraging employers to enable staff to recognise themselves as carers and come forward for support, for example via: Mapping or surveying the workplace to see the extent of caring issues and the impact on staff members and the employer. For example, this could include asking about caring responsibilities among your membership and also encouraging employers to hold a staff survey that covers caring. This can be a useful way to help identify caring issues and potential numbers of carers within the workforce. Including questions about caring in wider staff surveys should also help to raise awareness.

• Raising the issue of caring at branch meetings to help ensure that members and reps are aware of it.

• Workplace communications to all staff about caring issues and support available to help staff recognise themselves as carers and remind managers about support available. Carers are not a static group in the workplace as people will be coming in and out of caring situations all the time so there needs to be regular communications about support available.

• Including information about caring and support available for carers at key times such as during staff recruitment and induction periods and awareness raising weeks such as national work life week and mental health awareness week etc.
• Promoting national carer awareness raising events to encourage take up of workplace support. Carers Week in June is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring to highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. Carers Rights Day in November also helps provide a national focus to help carers in their local community know their rights and find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to. Both events could also provide an opportunity to initiate negotiations with employers about better support for carers in the workplace. Employers can also be asked, for example, to promote this via their staff intranet.

(Logos and posters can also be downloaded for Carers Rights Day in November here: https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/our-campaigns/carers-rights… ). • A workplace point of contact for carers, or carers champion. Identifying a specific individual(s) to act as a ‘carers contact’ or ‘carers champion’ can play a key part in encouraging staff to disclose their caring responsibilities and the impact on their working lives.

Providing a specific carers’ policy or guidance 

Evidence from employers and carers suggests that, in larger organisations, having a specific carers’ policy or guidance within the workplace, has helped to raise awareness of caring and how to get support. Similarly, in smaller organisations, a carers charter or other visible statement of commitment has helped staff to come forward for support.  A carers’ policy (or statement etc) can provide a helpful framework to communicate the employer’s support for carers and summarise key provisions so that this information is all in one place and easier to find. While it is also important to include carers in generic policies or guidance (eg on leave, flexible working etc) the best results are often achieved by doing this and having a specific carers’ policy or top line communication that signposts to relevant policies and support. In both cases, however, the key thing for employers and individual managers to be aware of is that carers’ needs are distinct and that they need specific support.

When providing a carers’ policy or guidance, it is helpful to: 

• Develop this in consultation also with carers in the workplace, so that it can be appropriate and useful. ·       Include a clearly stated commitment from the employer to set out the support on offer.
• Include a clear and broad definition from the employer of a carer and what this means.
• Include details of, or a link to, the support the employer offers to carers including, for example, leave, flexible working, health and wellbeing, staff network/support group etc if available.
• Include details of any support available to line managers to implement the policy (eg carer awareness information).
• Explain how staff members can identify themselves as a carer (eg via their line manager and/or an internal HR system or workplace passport if available).
• Reassure staff that any information given by them will be treated confidentially and only shared with the express permission of the member of staff, and that managers are fully compliant with the data protection regulation.
• Review this on a regular basis to gauge how it is working and identify any changes that would make it work better.  

• 1 Currently this applies to England, Scotland and Wales as employment law is devolved to Northern Ireland
• 2 Currently this applies to England, Scotland and Wales as employment law is devolved to Northern Ireland
• 3 Currently this applies to England, Scotland and Wales as employment law is devolved to Northern Ireland
• 4 Carers' employment rights today, tomorrow and in the future (Carers Rights Day 2023, Carers UK)
• 5 Introducing a new right to paid carers leave (Carers UK, 2024)
• 6 Supporting working carers, how employers and employees can benefit (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, 2020)
• 7 Introducing a new right to paid carers leave (Carers UK, 2024)
• 8 Introducing a new right to paid carers leave (Carers UK, 2024)
• 9 making-caring-the-10th-protected-characteristic-report (Carers UK, 2024)
• 10 Who Cares? The implications of informal care and work for policymakers and employers 
(Work Foundation, 2018)

Chapter 5

Putting the case to employers

To assist reps with negotiations, this section provides facts and figures and arguments to help make the case to employers for improvements and to establish an agreed carers’ policy or workplace support.

Employers need to be made aware that they have carers working for them already, whether members of staff have told the employer or not. The statistics prove it (see also chapter 1) and the numbers are increasing. Already every day, 5,300 workers in the UK become carers 11 – and two in three adults will care for a family member or friend at some point in their lives and, often, during their working lives. So, caring is a reality in every workplace.

The business case for agreeing workplace support for carers includes the potential to:

• keep experienced staff within the workforce – the peak age for caring is between 46 and 65 12 , so carers are likely to be among the most skilled and experienced workers

• reduce staff turnover and the high cost of recruiting replacement staff – polling research found that 2.6 million people in UK have given up work to care, equating to around 600 people a day 13

• reduce operational costs – introducing flexible working and leave for carers has been proven to save money for employers with fewer stress-related absences, increased productivity and staff retention. It also avoids losing investment made into training and developing of staff members who then leave due to work and caring pressures.

• cut sickness absence exacerbated by the mental and physical impact of juggling demanding caring and work responsibilities if unsupported

• reduce management time spent on dealing with absences if agreed policies and procedures are in place

• help address any pay gap identified in gender pay gap reports – a strong contributing factor is women stepping out of the labour force to have children and then to care for other family members, therefore having to take on part-time, often lower paid, work to accommodate caring responsibilities

• raise productivity and improve loyalty and job satisfaction by ensuring staff can focus on work whilst at work, without constantly worrying about the needs of dependants and how they can be managed

• improve people management and staff morale across the organisation – this is likely to benefit most people at some time in their working lives, including managers

• benefit the business more widely by reducing the knock-on effect of a high staff turnover on customer service, customer retention and output.

The latest facts about carers can be viewed on the Carers UK website here: Carers UK facts and figures

Information about Carers UK’s campaign for paid Carer’s Leave, including latest research, is also available here: Carers UK The case for paid Carer's Leave

Chapter 6

Checklist for union reps

Do not wait until you become aware of members with caring responsibilities who may be in difficulty before checking that the right support is in place. Employers have responsibilities to support carers in the workplace including, as a minimum, to comply with the relevant statutory rights and protections outlined in chapter 2. Here are some suggested actions that reps can take:

• Map or survey the workplace to see the extent of caring issues and the impact on staff members and the employer.

• Ensure that you are consulted on any changes to policies, procedures or provisions relevant to caring including, for example, the new right to carer’s leave.

• Check whether there is a clear description/definition of carers and caring in the workplace and, if not, raise this with the employer.

• Find out also whether there is a visible statement/commitment to support carers in the workplace, and what support is available to them.

• If the employer has a leave policy, ensure that this now covers leave for planned/foreseen caring situations (as well as time off in emergencies for a dependant).

• Establish whether leave and flexible working policies (if provided) give the same rights to any staff members who are categorised as workers – eg those on casual or short-term contracts – as they do to those who are permanent employees,

• Review whether the employer has a diversity and inclusion policy, or harassment and dignity at work policy, and, if so, whether this includes carers.

• Explore whether there is a process in place for how staff can identify themselves as a carer, for example through an internal HR system, workplace passport or staff surveys, to help access support.

• Ask if there are any specific individuals who carers can go to in as a point of contact, for example a workplace carers champion, or support group or network.

• Check whether the employer provides information about where carers can find external practical information and support to help with caring (eg through an employee assistance programme/health and wellbeing scheme or by signposting to local or national carers’ organisations like Carers UK).

• Use national awareness raising events like Carers Week in June or Carers Rights Day in November as an opportunity to initiate negotiations with the employer about better support for workers with caring responsibilities. (Employers can also be asked to promote this via their organisation’s staff intranet.)

• Carry out a survey of members who are, or have recently, been caring. This can help you find out what went well, where the employer was (or was not) supportive and what changes to policies and practices they think would help other carers in the workplace.

• Encourage employers to introduce a specific carers’ policy or guidance in the workplace to bring together key support (including flexible working and leave) in one place.

Chapter 7

Resources and further reading

For more information about supporting carers in the workplace from a range of organisations, see below.

Carers UK and carers’ organisations

• Carers UK aims to make life better for carers. As the UK’s only national membership charity for carers, Carers UK is both a supportive community and a movement for change. The charity gives carers expert information and tailored advice, champions the rights of carers and supports them in finding new ways to manage at home, at work, or in their community. More information is available here: carersuk.org/ 
  Carers UK’s campaign page for paid Carer’s Leave, including latest research, can also be viewed here: Carers UK The case for paid Carer's Leave

• Carers UK’s business forum Employers for Carers provides practical advice and support for employers seeking to develop carer friendly policy and practice and retain skilled workers; identifies and promotes the business benefits of supporting carers in the workplace; and influences government and employment policy and practice to create a culture that supports carers in and into work. More information is available here: employersforcarers.org/ 

• Employers for Carers has also developed the Carer Confident benchmarking scheme. This assists employers to build a supportive and inclusive workplace for staff who are, or will become, carers and to make the most of the talents that carers can bring to the workplace. Carer Confident also seeks to recognise employers who achieve this, and to inspire others to follow suit. More information is available here: employersforcarers.org/carer-confident/

• Carer Positive is a Scottish Government funded initiative which works with employers across Scotland to develop good practice and gain recognition as Carer Positive Employers. More information is available here: carerpositive.org/

• Local support services can make a real difference for carers and their families. Whenever providing advice to members with caring responsibilities, it is therefore helpful to ensure they are aware of support available from their local authority or local voluntary organisations as well as in the workplace. Local councils can provide information about the support for carers in their area including how to access an assessment of their own needs and details of local carers’ organisations and young carers’ support services. (In Northern Ireland these services are available through local health and social care trusts.)

•  Carers UK’s directory of local support services for carers contains information and contact details for local carers organisations across the UK and local council social services departments. More information is here: carersuk.org/help-and-advice/support-where-you-live/

Trades Union Congress

Check with your union to see if they have any examples or templates of good workplace policies for carers such as carer’s leave, carers’ passports etc.

Further information for reps on flexible working can be found in the TUC’s interaction learning resource: https://www.tuc.org.uk/resource/flexible-working

Relevant legislation

Carer’s leave

Carer’s Leave Act 2023

Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024

Time off for dependants

Employment Rights Act 1996 as amended by: Employment Relations Act 1999

Parental leave

Employment Rights Act 1996

Maternity and Parental Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2014

Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018

Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020

Right to request flexible working 

Employment Rights Act 1996

Flexible Working Regulations 2014 as amended by:

Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 and 
Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023

Protection from discrimination

Equality Act 2010

• 11 Cycles of Caring: transitions in and out of unpaid Care, Carers Rights Day Research Report, Nov 2022
• 12 Cycles of Caring: transitions in and out of unpaid Care, Carers Rights Day Research Report, Nov 2022
• 13 Carers UK and YouGov, Juggling work and unpaid care: A growing issue (February 2019)
• 14 https://www.centrica.com/media/3247/centrica_carers_guide.pdf