There are some simple measures that employers can take to promote policies and support for carers. These include:

• Ensure that there is regular communication to employees informing them of what policies and support you offer, and how these may help employees with caring responsibilities
• Cover such information in staff newsletters, email and/or your staff intranet
• Use opportunities such as annual Carers Week (2nd week of June) and Carers Rights Day (end November) to make your employees aware of support available in the workplace and externally
• Encourage your HR department/colleagues (or, if you are a smaller organisation, relevant managers or colleagues) to highlight the kind of support people can get through flexible working
• Individual managers have a vital role in helping staff in their teams juggle work alongside their caring responsibilities and promoting a supportive workplace. Simple actions that individual managers can take include:
• Ensure that all staff in your team are aware of the relevant HR policies and/or arrangements that your organisation has in place to support staff with caring responsibilities.

Make it easy for your employees to talk to you about their caring responsibilities at work and offer whatever support you can offer within your company’s policies or provisions. Whether you can provide specific support or not, it is better for you and your staff if they are able to talk to you about their caring role, rather than overstretch themselves.

Signpost colleagues to support they can get outside the workplace, such as advice and information services and peer support groups.

As well as ensuring policies and provisions are promoted within your organisation, it is important that line managers, HR and other colleagues with employee wellbeing responsibilities are aware of the milestones throughout the caring and employment journey so that appropriate support is provided.

Employers for Carers have created two maps representing the caring and employment journey. The caring journey map focuses on the different stages of caring and significant transitions that carers may endure and the employment journey map focuses on the opportunities that employers/line managers/HR can use to support carers throughout their working life.

Download: The caring journey
Download: The employment journey