With the carer’s leave act coming into force next week, the responsibility falls on HR departments to create a more supportive workplace for employees who currently have care obligations.
The legislation will ensure that every employee is entitled to a week of unpaid leave each year to undertake caring responsibilities. It covers employees who are caregivers for dependents who have an illness, injury, or disability or those who require care due to old age. It’s a key step forward as one in five people are providing unpaid care to someone.
This legislation has brought unpaid care to the HR agenda by accommodating those who need to take leave for care at short notice. The policy should act as a reminder to departments to ensure they have strong company processes in place to support people who provide unpaid care.
Employees will need to communicate with employers to access their care days, so there is a chance for HR departments to offer greater support by establishing networks within organisations. Peer groups, mentorship and access to external resources will help to provide emotional and practical support to caregivers.
HR professionals, business leaders and managers must be aware that employees may not always be able to give notice on when they will need to take a care day. This can happen out of the blue if a child gets sick or if there is a sudden cancellation by a professional carer, for example. Flexibility is key here to accommodate the carer’s needs and ensure they can exercise their legal right.
Onus on HR departments
It’s the responsibility of HR departments to ensure employees are aware of, and can access, their five days of unpaid care leave.
One way to achieve this is with awareness campaigns to proactively educate employees about their new rights. The process of accessing the benefit should be clarified through effective communication channels, including the distribution of informational resources through emails, intranet portals and employee handbooks.
Making the processes for requesting carers’ leave as straightforward as possible will benefit HR managers and employees alike. There should be clear guidelines, forms and a designated point of contact within HR.
Training can help equip line managers to handle care leave requests sensitively and with empathy. And line managers should be familiar with the legal framework to ensure there is mutual benefit for employer and employee.
Address gender inequalities
At the heart of unpaid care, is the clear gender pay gap. Unpaid care affects women more than men. Studies show that nearly-two thirds of unpaid carers are women, and these responsibilities can significantly affect their careers and job opportunities. However, the carer’s leave act aims to reduce this impact and provide relief to unpaid caregivers.
HR can advocate for flexible working arrangements that accommodate caregiving responsibilities, such as part-time hours, job sharing or remote work. Flexibility will empower women to continue working productively while fulfilling their care obligations.
Companies should strive to ensure that women are not left with gaps in their CVs or skills deficits due to care responsibilities by providing training and resources to bridge that gap. This will in turn help to tackle the stigma associated with caregiving by opening dialogues, acknowledging that providing care is a huge challenge and creating an environment where everyone, including female caregivers, feels valued.
Inefficiencies in the care system
The UK care sector is facing a critical shortage of carers due to stagnant low wages and a lack of career progression opportunities. Such shortages result in limited availability and affordability of care services, which often forces people to become full-time unpaid caregivers for their families, taking them away from work for longer than just five days a year.
With inefficiencies continuing in the care sector and as the population ages, we are going to see more people needing to support family members. This has clear implications for personal careers and, in turn, the talent market.
It begs the question – will statutory support go far enough? There will still be people who need to provide longer-term care and most likely suffer in their careers as a result.
HR departments can go further to support people with care duties by leveraging services that plug into employee benefits strategies, enabling access to experienced, affordable and on-demand care. This helps employees return to work more quickly, better supporting careers and maintaining productivity for companies.
The carer’s leave act is an important milestone in acknowledging and supporting unpaid caregivers. However, it is just the beginning of what organisations can do. HR needs to take a leading role in promoting a culture of empathy, flexibility and inclusivity that ensures no one must choose between their family and their career.
The needs of employees vary, and it is necessary for employee benefit programmes to be equally diverse. A good employee benefits programme should go beyond the day-to-day benefits seen across companies such as gym memberships, dental insurance, and cycle to work schemes. They must include professional care support as part of the package for those who need it.
