The CIPD and University of Sheffield report ‘Supporting working carers’ examines the ability of working carers to combine caring responsibilities with paid employment. Almost 3.7 million employees are working carers and for about 2.6 million care is additional to full-time paid work, with the majority of carers providing at least 30 hours of care per week. 44% of carers struggle to combine work and care. Most working carers had experienced difficulty in concentrating at work because of their caring responsibilities, 36% had reduced their hours of work because of their caring role and 24% were considering giving up their job because of caring. The most frequently mentioned form of employer-provided support was being able to use the telephone, or private time for private calls, this was followed by 25% being entitled to use flexitime and 22% being able to work at home on some days. The report makes a number of recommendations about what employers can do develop policies and practices designed to support staff caring for others, with the aim of becoming a ‘carer-friendly’ employer.
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