A new
article published today on XpertHR finds that employees who care for dependants
often form a silent minority in the workplace, experiencing little
understanding or awareness from line managers and colleagues. The article includes
input from expert organisations such as Carers UK and provides key practical
advice for employers on how best to support carers at work. There
is a strong business case for providing support for employees with caring
responsibilities, not least higher productivity and discretionary effort on the
part of employees. With the number of carers in the workplace set to rise
significantly over the next couple of decades due mainly to an ageing
population, it is in employers' interests to making provision available for
those with caring responsibilities. Typically, this does not involve costly
adjustments but could be as simple as tweaking someone's working hours or
making sure they are able to contact a dependant at lunchtime to check they are
OK.
