Some carers experience barriers to paid employment as a result of the caring role, which often leads to financial hardship.
Balancing work and care responsibilities is a struggle for most carers who must often trade-off more skilled work roles with job flexibility.
At some time in their life most people will be a carer for a short or long term. In a work setting that person may be a staff member, a volunteer or a community member.
With greater awareness and recognition of carers needs you can support carers and your colleagues by enabling sustainable participation and an effective and inclusive workplace.
Carers are an incredibly skilled community and offer a lot to workplaces. Employing carers can also help your organisation respond better to carers.
Carers Australia identifies the benefits for workplaces of specific workplace arrangements for carers as:
- Reduced costs of employee turnover
- Increased productivity
- Improved service delivery
- Reducing stress and absenteeism
- Attracting quality workers
- Increased staff morale
- Building a resilient workforce.
For further details see Carers in the Workplace at Carers Australia.
What does this look like or could this look like at your workplace?