Balancing work and life can be a challenge at the best of times. But when you add caring responsibilities into the mix, that’s a whole different ball game.
The charity Carers UK estimates there are around 5.7 million unpaid carers across the UK, with one in seven juggling work and care. And statistics show that for many, that’s just not sustainable, and on average, 600 people a day leave work to provide care for family members. So, what can organisations do to provide support and ensure they stop a whole lot of talented and experienced people from leaving the workplace?
At Yorkshire Housing, our ‘hub, home, roam’ approach means colleagues can work when they want and where they want, which has been a lifesaver for Sam James, Senior HR business partner. Sam, who was born in the Midlands and now lives in Yorkshire, had her world turned upside down in May last year when her beloved dad passed away suddenly.
Having been happily married for 50 years, her mum was left in a state of trauma and struggling to cope. She was spending a lot of time on her own and her mental health was deteriorating rapidly. While grief is a normal human emotion, acute grief is so severe and can be completely debilitating, resulting in symptoms including chronic insomnia, depression and even auditory and visual hallucinations.
Dealing with the aftermath of her dad’s passing, constantly worrying about her mum and travelling hundreds of miles every week back and forth to the Midlands started to take its toll on Sam and in August, her mum moved in with her and her family in Yorkshire.
Her mum has multiple medical needs which mean regular visits to the doctors, and as she’s unable to drive, Sam has to be on hand to take her to appointments and run errands. Without the flexible ‘hub, home, roam’ approach to working at Yorkshire Housing, Sam admits she wouldn’t have been able to carry on working full time. She would have had to reduce her working hours, take extended compassionate leave, or potentially exit the workplace completely.
“Flexible working takes the pressure off people like me who are caring for others. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy but having true flexibility means I can give my mum the support she needs, when she needs it without feeling guilty about not being present and available at work”.
“And because we have an open, inclusive culture at Yorkshire Housing I’m comfortable sharing my story with colleagues. They know when they look at my calendar and see time blocked out for various private appointments that I’ll be doing stuff with my mum. They trust me and there’s no questions asked. It’s acknowledged that we all have a life outside work and that it doesn’t always fit neatly into what’s viewed as ‘traditional’ working hours”.
After the pandemic, many organisations moved to some kind of flexible working, such as compressed hours, or the hybrid model where working days are split between home and a work location. However, some are now pulling back on workplace flexibility, including several of the world’s largest companies like Starbucks, Disney and Twitter, forcing employees with caring responsibilities to choose between their family or their career. But Yorkshire Housing’s hub, home, roam approach is well and truly embedded in its diverse and inclusive culture and is here to stay.
“So much has changed in the last year and it’s been a big adjustment for the whole family, but my mum’s in a much better place now. She’s looking to buy a place near me in Yorkshire and start living a bit more independently again. But I simply wouldn’t have been able to continue to develop my career, and give my mum the love, time, care and attention she needs without Yorkshire Housing’s truly flexible approach to working and its commitment to giving all colleagues the support they need to thrive at, and outside of work.”