How to ensure employees have family support when they need it

At some time during their career, all employees face an emergency that requires their immediate attention - and the right benefits can help

How to ensure employees can find benefits when they need themjpg

In 2022 there were 19.4 million families living in the UK — a mix of nuclear, single-parent, blended, multi-generational and multi-locational, all with their own combinations of potential opportunities and issues.

Employees could be caring for young children or older parents — or even be part of the 21% of the working population who describe themselves as ‘the sandwich generation’ and are juggling the responsibility of both.

These people are likely to need support from their employers at some time — and no more so than in a family emergency.

What constitutes a family crisis?

Legally, people are entitled to reasonable time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant. That could mean a situation affecting a spouse, partner, child, grandchild or parent, or even someone who depends on them for care.

Emergencies could include illness (both physical and mental), injury or assault, or disruption to established care arrangements — if a childminder doesn’t turn up, or a parent’s care home closes unexpectedly.

Employees are also entitled to time off if their child is injured while in the care of their school, or even if they are suspended from school. However, there is no obligation to provide this as paid time and employees should always check as to what provision their employer has made for emergency leave.

What employers can do to help

Today we have the the first five-generational workforce and that brings with it a wide range of personal needs and potential issues.

With the wide range of circumstances under which an employee might need to take time out of work to deal with a family crisis, it’s important to have the policies in place to support these people. And once those benefits, policies and plans are in place employers can concentrate on making sure employees know how to find them.

Speed is of the essence during a crisis, so here are three things to consider to ensure employees get the help they need as quickly as possible when an emergency arises.

Tell everyone what’s available

Make sure you communicate what benefits you offer on a regular basis — an annual benefit fair or online event will keep employees up to date. And throughout the year use company newsletters, intranet and internal social channels — even good, old-fashioned posters and banners — to deliver a rolling communications plan.

Tapping into awareness days, for instance, can help you highlight what you offer to support carers, parents and others. Most importantly, remember who your employees are and the communication channels that suit them, as a one-size-fits-all approach simply won’t do the job.

Use your benefits provider’s expertise

Most benefits providers offer programmes and marketing materials to show employees how to get the best out of their benefits.

When a crisis emerges, people primarily need time out of the workplace to deal with the situation. But existing employee benefits could provide extra help, so people need to know all the options available.

Health and wellbeing apps can offer a wealth of support at the employee’s fingertips. Unum’s Help@hand app includes fast access to GP appointments, medical second opinions, as well as an integrated employee assistance programme that contains articles and resources to help deal with the problem at hand.

Be prepared to stay flexible

Unum research revealed almost a quarter (24%) of employees have needed time off to manage caring responsibilities, with 16% reporting that they’d taken time off sick to cope.

Flexible working options might ease the pressure. These could include flexitime, in which an employee works core hours but has flexibility to work earlier or later to complete their total hours; or compressed hours, which involves working contracted hours over fewer working days.

Employees rightly expect support from their employers in times of crisis. Ensuring they can access the benefits employers have put in place is part of that support. No one can predict when a crisis will occur, but employers can put plans in place to make it as easy as possible for employees to deal with them when they do.