Working Carers: The Hidden Life of Your Employees
Many people caring for those in need don’t consider themselves “a carer”
How many disabled people work for your organisation? How many are on maternity leave? On long-term sick leave? What about this one: how many of your people are struggling with the demands of caring for someone at home who relies on them for their most basic needs?
The latter is a group of people known as “working carers”, and when many HR people and managers are asked this question, their immediate reaction is “no, of course not”. It’s an understandable reaction - the word “carer” can bring thoughts of care homes or those working inside the houses of those who need help with day-to-day life. It’s a noble profession, but not one you’re likely to find in a City office, or behind the counter of your cafe, or in the teacher’s staff room, or on the West End stage, or in the hospital corridors, or…
The reality is that many people working in - for lack of a better word - “regular” jobs have a whole other world waiting for them at home. A world of caring for someone they love who needs extra support whether temporarily or permanently.
And many of them might not even think of themselves as a carer at all. Carers’ First - a charity working directly with and for thousands of carers, helping them to find balance and live their lives to the fullest - says: “You may just think of it as ‘being there’ for someone. But if your support enables them to manage their everyday needs, live independently and stay safe, then you are their carer. You don’t even have to see them in person; you could provide all your support at the other end of the phone and still count as a carer.”
Employees of any age and any stage might have temporary or permanent caring responsibilities at home
Our idea of what makes a carer needs to change
A carer could be supporting someone for various reasons:
Someone who has dementia
Someone who is frail and elderly
Someone who has a learning disability
Someone who is autistic
Someone who has a mental health problem
Someone who has an addiction
Someone who has a physical disability
Someone who has a sensory condition
Someone who is at the end of their life
These carers could have professional support, but still provide a huge amount of care and support to their loved one as well - and they may well be doing this while working to earn a living.
Our idea of what “work” means needs to change, too
And when we say “working carer”, we don’t just mean someone who’s holding down a full-time job. Often, those caring for a family member or friend opt for part-time or contract work to help them earn money while still giving the time to those they’re caring for.
Regardless of whether that employee is part time or full time, on a temporary or permanent contract, visible in the office or working from home, they are part of your business and working to help keep it in operation. They’re looking after someone at home, and they’re looking after your business - but who’s looking after them?
That’s the question on our minds lately, and it’s the reason - with the support of Legal & General - we’ve made the working carer population, often so hidden, the focus of our next HIVE.
If your employee is looking after others with complex needs at home, who’s looking after them?
What is HIVE?
HIVE - or Highly Interactive Virtual Experience - is a 14-week virtual peer support programme for people who want to make a positive life-change -- to sleep, eat, exercise and relax better. These are the foundations of wellbeing. We do this in a tribe; because the magic ingredient in mental wellbeing is human connection. When you have five people who know you, support you, and have your back, you are not alone.
Each 14-week HIVE cycle is open to a different cohort of people with something important in common; this February, that ‘something important’ is their working carer status. And early signs show this is going to be a highly sought-after and highly important HIVE indeed.
Why we need you to share the word about HIVE with your employees
However, those working carers are often hidden; they come to work, get their job done, then go home and continue working to support their loved one (or ones!). They spend so much time thinking about others that they often put their own needs last, meaning they are at risk of burning out.
People in this situation are often so focused on meeting another person’s needs that they have no time or emotional energy to look after their own health. They might feel isolated, like nobody around them knows or understands what they are going through.
Everyone in the HIVE understands, because it’s full of people facing the same challenges - but those working carers under your employment won’t know about this opportunity unless you share the details with them.
HIVE is a completely novel programme, created by Minds@Work. We adopted a proven model of peer support and consulted with the UK’s foremost peer support specialists, Dr. Emma Watson and Dr. Sara Meddings, in its development.
The first HIVE beta was launched in February 2021, with the support of our Founding Sponsor, Legal & General. The first colony consisted of leaders from small and medium sized businesses, who helped us test the programme. HIVE has also been produced within a large organisation, as part of their wellbeing programme.
HIVE is FREE and open to any working carer
The programme is fully funded by Legal & General, so it’s free for participants - but places are limited. If you would like to learn more before sharing the information, you can attend one of our upcoming Q&A sessions on 10 January at 7pm UK time, 11 January at 12:30pm UK time, or 17 January at 12.30pm UK time.
Get more details here, or get in touch if you have any questions.
Together, we can make the lives of working carers more fulfilling by helping them to take care of themselves, too.