Managing your time between work and care

You may be trying to juggle a job with your caring role which is putting you under a lot of pressure and stress. There are statutory rights for carers under the Equalities Act 2010. As you are looking after someone who is terminally ill, you are protected from discrimination because of your caring responsibilities. This is because you are counted as being ‘associated’ with someone who is protected by the law because of their age or disability. This means your employer cannot treat you less favourably because of your caring responsibilities. 

For more information on these statutory rights and what to do if you think you are being discriminated against see Carers UK.

Decide if you want to tell your employer about your caring responsibilities. Although you may prefer not to, it’s worth bearing in mind that if you do tell them your employer can take into account the home pressures you are under and may even be able to help you access some support for example in-house counselling service.

Some employers even have a carer’s policy or a carer support group to support staff in the workplace. Talk to your manager or to someone in HR to see what is in place for carers.

Think about talking to work colleagues about your caring situation as they too can provide support. You may well find that other colleagues are carers and it gives you someone to talk to.

Think carefully before giving up your job if you feel you cannot manage your time. Talk to your manager or someone in HR first about what you need to enable you to stay at work and if this is feasible. Consider all options, including a career break, early retirement, or voluntary redundancy. A carer’s assessment via your local social care team may also help as there is a legal obligation for your work that needs to be addressed as part of this assessment. For help in exploring your options, you can contact an Action for Carers Advisor on their helpline, or call them on 0303 040 1234.