- 1 in 7 estimated employees are unpaid carers.
- 1 in 3 staff in the NHS are also unpaid carers.
Employers are being asked to share a snapshot of their support by completing a short survey for those colleagues who are unpaid carers within their workforce. This issue has gained greater importance since the landmark Carer’s Leave Act was introduced in April 2024.
The Act has given 2.3 million workers new rights throughout Britain since the Spring and over 1 million employers were expected to offer the new rights. The Carer’s Leave Act means employees with unpaid caring responsibilities are now entitled to take up to five days unpaid leave if they need it, helping more to stay in work.
An unpaid carer is a person of any age who provides unpaid care and support to a family member, friend or neighbour who is disabled, has an illness or long-term condition, or who needs extra help as they grow older.
Employers for Carers is now asking companies and organisations across England, Wales and Scotland to share how they support unpaid carers and whether they’ve needed to make any new changes since the Act was introduced.
They are also keen to capture the experiences of small businesses who might have different experiences and don’t always have established policies in place.
The purpose of the work is to help Employers for Carers offer practical advice and support for businesses and organisations to develop carer-friendly policy and practice to retain skilled and experienced workers. It recently turned 15 years old and now has more than 230 member organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
The research survey is open until 8th November and gives employers an important opportunity to record their support for unpaid carers and the impact the Act has had on other carer support practices, raising awareness, and capturing crucial data on carers in the workplace. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete, and all responses will be confidential.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said: “The Carer’s Leave Act coming into force has been a huge step forward this year for millions of carers in the workplace.
“Now we want to hear how employers are getting on, what their existing practice is and if they have made any adjustments to what they already do. This research is important for us to understand how the Act is working for them and how we can support business and organisations to make it a success for both them and carers.
“The new law matters not just for carers, but for employers and the economy too. It’s crucial they get any support they might need to retain the skills and talent of workers who may have caring responsibilities.”
Employers for Carers are asking that just one response per organisation is made and that the survey is completed by HR professionals or relevant senior managers on behalf of each organisation.
