More than a million workers are caring for someone with cancer alongside their job, forcing them to take up to an average of six and a half days off work a month, according to research from Reframe Cancer.
However, employers are only informed that three and a half of these days are for cancer caring responsibilities.
The research with 442 cancer carers across the UK, who are also in full and part time paid employment, showed that carers take an additional three days using other leave such as sick pay or holiday allowance. The six and a half days they take off come before these employees take time off for their own needs or sickness.
Cancer support services provider Reframe Cancer has estimated that this could be costing employers £8.5 billion a year in missed hours.
The issue is expected to get worse as cancer rates are increasing by 1.9 percent each year among working age people. Four million people in the UK are forecast to be living with cancer by 2030.
The provider’s research also revealed a lack of awareness of carers’ employment rights under the Carer’s Leave Act 2024.
More than half of employers (52 percent) do not brief working cancer carers on how they can be fully supported as they juggle work with caring.
More than a third (36 percent) of carers said a lack of employer support made them want to move jobs.
More than seven in ten employees (77 percent) said that being a carer has impacted their work.
However, 38 percent of cancer carers said their employer was very supportive when they told them about their additional role and responsibilities. More than a third (34 percent) said they were ‘somewhat supportive’, 15 percent said their employer was ‘indifferent’ and 7 percent were not supportive at all. Around half of respondents (52 percent) said they received specific help and support from their HR team while they were a carer.
Mark Stephenson, CEO at Reframe Cancer, said: “The findings show the real depth of the daily demands working adults are dealing with when also providing care for a loved one with cancer.
“Unfortunately it also shows that there is still a real stigma around the issue of being a carer in the workplace, resulting in employees taking time off that they don’t feel they can declare is for caring purposes.
“They are spending an average of 16 hours a week providing cancer support, which can cover everything from travelling to treatment sessions, helping with washing and bathing and making sure bills are paid and medication is taken on time. It is therefore easy to see why so many take time off from their job every month to juggle what needs to be done.
“There is clearly a concern from carers about needing time off to help with this, however, they are also using up their own annual leave and sick leave so that they don’t disclose to their employer how much they really need to fulfil their duties. This is unsustainable and made even worse by the fact that over half of carers (52 percent) say they are not being made aware of the support they are able to receive under the Carer’s Leave Act. If they were fully briefed and knew their rights, many would probably take less time off using up sick leave and their holiday allowance.”
