Creating and sustaining a successful Carers Network

What is a Carers Network?

Carers are employees with caring responsibilities that have an impact on their working lives. These employees are responsible for the care and support of ill, older or disabled family members, partners or friends who are unable to care for themselves.

A Carers Network is a form of peer support where working carers come together on a regular basis to share resources, raise awareness and connect with colleagues in similar situations.

Every Carers Network may be a little different and you can tailor the network to your employee’s needs. However, if you are looking for guidance the below information can be a helpful starting point.

The case for a Carers Network

There are many reasons to support carers at work. As well as the ethical and legal reasons, there are practical benefits for both employees and their employers.

Supporting employees with caring responsibilities may help your organisation:

Retain skilled and experienced employees
Recruit a wider, more diverse workforce
Reduce absenteeism
Improve staff morale
Improve carer's wellbeing
Increase brand reputation
Increase recognition amongst customers who are carers

As many as 600 people a day in the UK give up work to care, often because they don’t have the information or support they need at work. Retaining skilled workers is usually far more cost and time-effective than recruiting and retraining new staff.

The first challenge is to identify which employees have caring responsibilities in your organisation. Around 1 in 7 employees are balancing unpaid care and work, yet many don't realise they are an unpaid carer. They may see it as something they just do for their loved ones. It can take on average two years for a carer to recognise their role.

If you don’t currently monitor this, you could include it in your staff survey or a call out in an all-staff communication asking for interest in a carers network.

Some network options to offer include:
•   A face-to-face regular meeting
•   A hybrid or virtual regular meeting
•   An online group chat such as on Microsoft Teams or Slack
•   An informal meet-up, such as meeting for coffee
•   A formal staff network with chairs, objectives, and HR involvement

Every organisation will be different in terms of what works best for them. Some people may really prefer to meet in person whilst others may find a virtual meeting more practical and comfortable, especially at first.

Often organisations find that employees are more likely to join a support network at work if there is buy-in from HR and line managers.
Once you have established what the network will be, make sure all employees are informed and the conversation is ongoing. Your employees may become a carer very suddenly or expectedly, so talking about the network frequently is important to make sure you don’t miss anyone who may be interested.

You can try different forms of communication to share your message, for example, posters, awareness events, e-newsletters, and new starter inductions, to name a few.
It can be helpful to have a sense of what you hope to achieve with the network, or what the general purpose of it may be. You can ask your employees with caring responsibilities to decide this together and agree on it as a group.

There are many reasons a Carers Network can be beneficial. Some ideas to get you started may include:
•   To provide a space for employees with lived experience of caring to share ideas or explore issues they may be facing
•   To provide practical information for carers, their managers and their colleagues to ensure they are supported at work
•   To share organisational policies and processes that support carers at work
•   To come together with other carers, share experiences and find support
•   To combat the loneliness or isolation carers may feel
•   To work with HR and contribute lived experience to organisational policies, ensuring they are carer-friendly
•   To advocate for carers rights in the workplace, and ensure equal opportunity

Further Tips

Some carers don’t think of themselves as carers. Try to avoid phrases like ‘Are you a Carer?’ Instead, you could try “Do you help look after a relative or friend?’”.
You can ask the network members to share their stories if they are comfortable, to show the different range of caring roles that exist.
Identify a senior-level sponsor or champion – this helps show employees that there is an investment in the network.
Elect chairs/co-chairs – a network chair can help coordinate the meetings, as well as share information and regular updates with the network members
Offering a hybrid approach may help more people attend
You may want to record key information sessions, so those that are unable to attend can watch them back.
Keep members informed – ask how and when members want to be contacted.
Ensure the line managers of members are informed and aware of the extra responsibilities if any.
Provide other ways to contribute – not everyone will want to join a network but may want to be involved in policy writing or awareness events.