In the event of a staff member informing you that they are a carer, you are likely to be considering what type of caring role they have, the stress they might be placed under, and of course if they will have any difficulties balancing the responsibilities of both work and care.
A staff member may approach you for a number of reasons, some seeking advice and help, while others may simply feel it necessary that you be made aware of their domestic situation. Alternatively, there may be staff who might not inform you of their care responsibilities. They may not feel it is necessary or appropriate, or they might not even define themselves carers.
NHSScotland managers are tasked with helping employees achieve a healthy work-life balance while at the same time ensuring a quality service is maintained. In managing staff who are carers, NHSScotland requires managers to:
While obtaining information on current work-life balance policies may be a relatively simple matter of reviewing local NHS Board policies and contacting your HR department being able to understand and empathise with an employee who is a carer requires a nuanced understanding of the caring role itself. This, coupled with an understanding of the unique circumstances of the carer, will help inform your decisions on how to assist them achieve a healthier work-life balance leading to a far happier, and far more productive staff, and ultimately excellent service provision.
There are many reasons why managers should assist carers in the workforce. Tangible economic factors include saving money over the short and long term due to reduced staff turnover, and reduced recruitment and training costs. Many carers not receiving support and understanding from employers may seriously consider giving up work entirely. This not only represents a cost to your NHS Board in a lost staff member, it also represents a profligate waste of resources to society as a whole.
The following presentation outlines some of the benefits of helping carers employed in the NHSScotland:
When a staff member makes you aware that they have caring responsibilities, some of the questions you might want to consider are:
- What caring role is he or she managing?
- What physical and emotional demands is he or she placed under?
- How will care responsibilities affect well being?
- Will he or she benefit from any working-time adjustments? Am I able to provide flexible working, and if so what will I need to rearrange in the team to do so?
- What are my obligations as an employer, colleague, and team member?
- Where can I source expert information?
Answers to many of these questions are dependant on circumstances and need to be addressed between yourself and your staff member. However, policy information on flexible working provisions, or information on where to direct staff to get expert advice for carers, is readily available online, with many links found on this website.
This site will provide some direction and advice for managers in this regard. However, always keep in mind that while knowing the relevant information is important, being able to assist carers achieve a healthy work-life balance requires managers to be communicative, empathetic, and willing to understand the situation your staff member is facing.
Managers might consider three factors in how they approach assisting a carer achieve a healthier work-life balance.
In consultation with Area Partnership Forums, each NHS Board has drafted policies aimed at helping staff achieve a healthier work life balance. These are drafted using the previously mentioned Supporting the Work-Life balance PIN policy as a guide to what a minimum standard of practice should be.
It is imperative that managers and staff review local policies as these may not exactly mirror the structure and layout of the Supporting the Work-life balance PIN policy, however, this is not to say that that your local NHS Board will not have adopted the relevant carer policies as outlined in the PIN. If reading local policy in line with the PIN, two things should be kept in mind:
1. Local policies on carers in the NHSScotland workforce might be spread out over a range of different policies, or have different names to that outlined in the PIN document. For example, while the guiding PIN has a dedicated ‘carer leave’ policy, a leave provision allowing carers to respond to unforeseen emergencies, some NHS Boards may have defined this as ‘special’ or ‘emergency’ leave.
2. The PIN policy is an overarching minimum standard of practice to which all NHS Boards are required to adhere to. As a result, there may be some NHS Boards that have decided to exceed this minimum practice standard and this will be reflected in local policies.
So, whilst reading through the existing PIN policy will be informative, managers will also need to study local policies which can be found on intranet sites or through your Human Resource department. Managers can expect carer policies to fall into two broad categories, one responding to short term emergencies, the other for more long term responses. These have already been outlined in the background and carer policy section however, further guidance may be found below.
This policy generally deals with emergency leave, allowing an immediate leave of absence for a carer to deal with an emergency situation. This includes responding to a accident, or dealing with a breakdown of care arrangements.
What does this policy provide?
The leave period can usually be paid for up to one week, with a further week paid or unpaid being granted at the discretion of the manager. It is the responsibility of carers to ensure they stay in communication with managers during this period of absence.
How many times can the carers leave be used throughout the year?
There is no stipulation in the PIN policy as to how many times a staff member may apply for carers leave, however, this is to allow managers the flexibility to apply the policy as deemed necessary.
In instances of repeated use of the policy, managers should communicate with staff and discuss whether there may be a different working option that can be negotiated. Perhaps a period of absence, such as a career break, or a change in working patterns may be suitable.
Is this policy open to abuse?
Considering that this policy is there to allow carers to respond to emergencies, it is likely that managers will get very little notice as to when a staff member will need to use it. This may sometimes render the process of applying the policy a retrospective exercise.
As the policy is in place for cases of emergency, carers are responsible for appraising managers of the situation, and of keeping them updated. Furthermore, although the policy does allow for up to one week leave, it is expected that carers should return to work as soon as it is deemed possible.
This policy is in place to be used as an emergency leave policy, and is not an addition to annual leave entitlement. Managers are responsible for assessing situations appropriately. Generally, carers who have understanding of the policy are appreciative knowing that they are in place. Given this, the policy is likely to be valued rather than abused.
Note, when carer leave is granted, managers must ensure that this is appropriately and accurately recorded. For example, carer leave should not be recorded as time off sick. Incorrect recording makes it difficult to assess policy use and efficiency, also leaving employees with an inaccurate employment record.
Flexible working can be requested by any employee, however, managers are asked to give particular consideration to applications from carers, taking into account the circumstances and difficulties carers face in balancing work and care.
The term ‘Carer policy’ in individual NHS Boards may sometimes refer specifically to short term emergency leave provisions, and may not mention longer term flexible working provisions. It is necessary to highlight that flexible working has become a key mechanism helping carers to balance work and domestic life.
The carers voices section outlines some personal stories of carers currently working in the NHS, highlighting flexible working provisions as a key factor in carer’s abilities to achieve a healthy balance between work and care. Managers are asked to place more emphasis on the use of flexible working provisions to assist carers.
What are flexible working options?
Examples of flexible working have been outlined in the background and carer policy section. These range from altered working hours, to taking a career break.
I’m not compelled to provide flexible working for my staff am I?
While it is not compulsory that managers organise flexible working, there is nonetheless a clear stipulation that any application for flexible working hours be taken under serious consideration.
Why are these so important?
In many cases, even the most minor change to working patterns can prove vital to carers achieving a healthy work life balance. Perhaps a carer may need to leave work at a specific time each day. They might be sharing the care responsibilities with other family and may need to maintain a consistent routine of specific days and times off. Carers might have a disabled child who during school holidays demands more time from carers.
In this respect, carers may need to establish a long term routine, and in many respects, carers trying to balance work and care are likely to be more rigid in sticking to this routine, arguably making them very reliable and consistent staff.
Each NHS Board will have a number of internal sources of advice and assistance such as occupational therapy, human resources, or perhaps even informal carers networks – unofficial social networks comprising carers.
Human resources
The Human Resources department may be able to provide greater clarity for both staff and mangers on how best to go about applying policies, navigating process, and perhaps helping managers and staff interpret current policy, so as to find the best approach that helps carers manage a healthier work-life balance, while helping managers maintain a high quality service.
Occupational Health Department and counselling
In some cases, the emotional health and wellbeing of the carer may be affected by the caring role, and the need to balance work and domestic responsibilities. Often, carers may not be able to speak to friends, managers, and colleagues about the pressures they are facing.
Carers may benefit from sourcing advice from the local Occupational Health Departments, and from there, carers can be referred to in-house counselling services. These private and confidential sessions can be beneficial for staff.
Informal support networks
Carers may often want to seek advice and help from people who are already carers. When staff find themselves thrust into a care role, it might be beneficial to enquire as to whether there are already any carers in the work place.
While care situations are unique, there will nonetheless be shared similarities of experience among carers. Feelings of isolation, angst, fear, frustration, guilt are common emotional responses, and finding someone who has been through, or is going through the same experiences, can provide a level of comfort and empathy that should not be discarded.
Are there any other carers within close proximity? Is it possible to approach other carers and enquire as to whether they can provide some mutually supportive advice? Note, any such overtures should be made sensitively and sensibly, and no pressure should be applied on other staff to assist. As a manager, however, you might be able to facilitate such informal groups by correlating break periods, or organising a private meeting space.
While managers are expected to know relevant policies so as to assist carers in this regard, they might also benefit from knowing the avenues where carers may be directed to help them get expert advice on being a carer. There are a number of national carer organisations, and many minor local carer groups. Through these, carers can source information on the care role, and by contacting them, carers might benefit from plugging into local and national support networks for carers. These networks not only provide assistance and advice, but also engage in research, and input into carers policy formation at a national level.
Through these groups, carers might source valuable information such as how to organise a period of respite care, or get advice on obtaining a carers assessment, or even identify what care services might be available in the carers local community. They can also get advice on navigating the labyrinth of complex social services to ensure that the person being cared for is receiving the support they are entitled to. Getting advice on these issues can help reduce uncertainty and stress, while the support from organisations intimate and knowledgeable of carers needs can provide a measure of comfort.
A list of these organisations can be found in the advice and support section.