Employers for Carers (EfC) hosted its Spring Networking Event on Tuesday 16 April at Savills. The hybrid event was held at a pivotal time for carer\u2019s rights and recognition in the workplace, following the 6 April adoption of both the Carer\u2019s Leave Act and Employee Relations (Flexible Working) Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event theme of Going Beyond the Carer\u2019s Leave Act provided an opportunity for the group to dive into the various strategies and approaches organisations can implement to go beyond the statutory requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event was opened by Carers UK\u2019s Chair, Nick Baird, who welcomed EfC members, both new and longstanding, and highlighted the growing number of Carer Confident accredited organisations among the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, followed in sharing the collective effort that was involved in passing the bill to provide carers with 5 days unpaid leave through parliament, and thanked those EfC members who supported the campaign along the way. She brought attention to the new and revised EfC digital resources that are available to help members implement the Act in their workplace and encouraged members to have a look. Helen then set the scene for the event theme, by sharing how Carers UK seeks to practice what it preaches when it comes to supporting carers in the workplace. Carers UK has offered 10 days paid carers leave in a rolling 52-week cycle since April 2018, while also providing a suite of other benefits that specifically support employees with caring responsibilities to stay in work. These include family inclusive and good mental health policies, hybrid and flexibility working options from day one of employment, a dedicated Carers Network and an EAP, to complement the EfC Digital resources all staff have access to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helen concluded by speaking about the charity\u2019s upcoming priorities to campaign for enhanced employment rights for carers of up to 10 days paid leave and securing caring as the 10th<\/sup> protected characteristic. Finally, she highlighted events that members could get involved with in the coming months, with the inaugural Future of Work Employment Conference being held on 14 May and Carers Week (Theme: Putting carers on the map) from 10-16 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three EfC members then shared what their organisations have been doing to go beyond legislation in providing support to carers in their workforce. We had speakers from hosts Savills, Notting Hill Genesis and Clyde and Co.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gill Mooney, Chair of Savills\u2019 Age Working Group, shared that the group developed a policy in January 2023 granting employees five days of paid carer\u2019s leave. This initiative stemmed from Gill\u2019s own personal experience whilst caring for her husband when she recognised she had not taken any annual leave for herself in well over a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A notable observation from Gill and the network has been the limited involvement of carers in the network due to time constraints and the substantial mental energy required to care. In response to this, she shared that Savills\u2019 priorities moving forward include standardizing support mechanisms across all managerial levels to eliminate inconsistencies and addressing misconceptions regarding the role of carers in the workplace. Furthermore, efforts will be directed towards enhancing network engagement and gathering comprehensive data on carer demographics within the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natalie Quilter, Chair of the Carers Network at Notting Hill Genesis, spoke next and shared how her own difficulty juggling work with increased caring responsibilities was a catalyst to drive support internally. She spoke about the initiatives that she contributed greatly to, beginning with their Carers Network in 2020, whose primary objective is to foster a sense of pride among carers. Over the last two quarters, the network has focused on senior leaders sharing personal caring narratives to show career progression is possible as a carer. Two other particularly impactful initiatives Natalie shared were the coaching sessions designed to assist individuals in navigating the complexities of the care systems and their curated self-education library, with the aim of broadening understanding among individuals who may not identify as caregivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Externally to the network, Natalie spoke about efforts that have been made to engage with carers by incorporating care considerations into Equality Impact Assessments and featuring carers prominently in the organization\u2019s annual report. As a result of these efforts, Natalie was pleased to report that carers have emerged as one of the most engaged demographic groups within the organization, boasting a satisfaction score of 93%. Looking ahead, Notting Hill Genesis will focus on further expanding and enhancing the Carers Network and are committed to consistently tracking carer data throughout the employee lifecycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meleesha Perera, Senior Diversity & Inclusion Advisor, was the final presenter on behalf of Clyde & Co. She spoke about how emphasis is placed on the organization\u2019s initiatives driven by the Parents and Carers Together Network (PACT). Notably, the company offers five days of paid leave, a policy that was previously embedded within broader leave policies but has been recently highlighted for clarity. Meleesha shared that a significant endeavour undertaken by Clyde & Co involved the creation of a comprehensive resource pack delineating the various support mechanisms available to carers within the organization. This aimed to address a notable lack of awareness among some members regarding their entitlements to certain benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking ahead, she highlighted the organization\u2019s focus on ensuring a consistent experience regarding flexible working patterns, particularly concerning the challenges posed by \u201cbillable hours\u201d in reaching all employees. There is also broad cultural shift towards compassion being championed in the firm, with an emphasis on empowering managers and teams to approach each situation on an individual basis. This approach extends to ensuring consistency in the employee experience across diverse regions and cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, Meleesha spoke about how the firm intends to intensify efforts in identifying carers within the workforce and raising awareness of the diverse nature of care responsibilities. A top-down approach, supported by successful advocacy from partner-level champions of PACT, will continue to drive these initiatives forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The member presenters and Helen Walker then took questions from participants in the room and online. The questions touched upon capacity issues of carers to engage in employee networks, consistency with line manager support and offering flexibility for different employment contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the panelist session concluded, the event closed in its usual fashion, with networking over nibbles and drinks generously provided by Savills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you very much to those members who attended either virtually or in person.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Employers for Carers (EfC) hosted its Spring Networking Event on Tuesday 16 April at Savills. The hybrid event was held at a pivotal time for carer\u2019s rights and recognition in the workplace, following the 6 April adoption of both the Carer\u2019s Leave Act and Employee Relations (Flexible Working) Act. 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