06 Jan 2020

How to support the mental health of carers in the workplace

More than 5.4 million people in the UK provide unpaid care for a friend or family member, according to 2011 Census analysis. Many of them do so while maintaining their place in the workforce. Although carers spend their time supporting those in need – providing crucial assistance to people with physical or mental health problems – the mental health and wellbeing of the carers themselves can often be neglected.

The stats surrounding carers are quite alarming. The government’s Carers at the heart of 21st‐century families and communities (2008) report revealed 71% of carers have poor physical or mental health. In addition, Carers UK’s annual report (2015) found 84% of carers felt more stressed as a result of their caring role.

Providing assistance to those supporting others is vital if they are to maintain good mental health, and employers can do this in several ways.

Truly flexible work

Flexible working hours are more common than ever, but there are still only 54% of UK workers who currently work flexibly in some way, according to the CIPD’s Working Lives 2019 survey. For carers, who may have to drop everything to provide care for their loved one, access to flexible work can help relieve stress and anxiety about being able to fulfil their work duties.

Whether this is through flexible start and finish times, differing shift patterns, offering more regular work from home days or offering official care leave, it can all play a part. There are UK companies today who offer paid carers leave for planned and unplanned everts – alleviating pressure on carers and, thus, supporting their mental wellbeing.

Education

Educating management by providing proper training materials and guidelines on the work of carers and their situations can create a support structure for carers. This can help employers handle special requests or manage extenuating circumstances in a respectful and responsible manner.

This can start from the top down, with HR and management highlighting best practice or running training workshops that help colleagues better understand the needs and unique situation of carers; according to Carers UK one in seven UK employees have an unpaid care role, illustrating how widespread caring responsibilities are.

Support

Tied into education is support. Letting the carer know they have the full support of the company can help alleviate the stress and worries that come with having to juggle work and care. This could be in the form of paper or online information, or providing a phoneline for use in emergencies to show you can offer practical, as well as moral support.

Encourage carers to support one another, too. Introducing a regular coffee break where fellow carers can get together to share their experiences creates an organic support network, so those providing care feel like they have people in the same situation they can talk to. Quite often, carers may not know that colleagues are in a similar position and therefore feel alone, which can lead to anxiety and increased pressure.

Aligning with relevant organisations

There are many great organisations working towards supporting carers in the UK, including Carers UK, Carers Trust, Employers for Carers and many more.

Providing access to their materials or inviting someone from these organisations to come in and talk to employees can help provide an open space for carers where they feel their situation is recognised and supported.

This article is provided by Firstbeat.