8-14 June 2026

Headline sponsor

 

Building carer
friendly communities
at work

What does this mean? 

A carer friendly community at work is one where a carer is able to juggle work and caring within a supportive and understanding environment, that identifies and supports them.  We want to see a future where all employers, large and small, support unpaid carers to deliver their potential, recognise the value of employees with caring responsibilities and create workplaces that enable them to thrive.  

Through flexible working arrangements, compassionate line management, and clear carer support policies – including Carer’s Leave – employers can help carers balance work and care without having to leave the workforce. By fostering understanding, reducing stigma, and actively promoting inclusive practices, employers not only improve wellbeing and retention but also contribute to stronger, more supportive communities where carers feel respected, valued, and able to participate fully in working life. 

Why is it important?

Carers say that they want to continue working alongside their caring responsibilities for as long as possible [1] to protect their finances, while many say it gives them personal value and a break from their caring responsibilities. However, evidence shows that:   

  • 1 in 7 workers in the UK are juggling work and care [2] but 600 carers a day have to give up paid work to provide unpaid care.[3]  
  • More than 1.9 million people in paid employment become unpaid carers every year. That’s 37,000 people every week or 5,300 every day. [4]
  • 400,000 people in employment are now providing over 50 hours of unpaid care a week. [5]
  • Carers are less likely to be in work and more likely to face poverty than non-carers.[6]
  • Carers retire with much lower private pension incomes than the UK average: around £6,750 per year, which is only 80 % of the average UK private pension (£8,500) and 49 % of the overall national average pension income.[7]
  • Employers lose an estimated £8.3billion in productivity as a result of losing carers from the workplace and the cost to the economy of unpaid carers being unable to participate in paid work is £37 billion per year. [8]
  • Young people with caring responsibilities have much higher rates of being not in education, employment or training (NEET) than non-carers. [9]
  • Carers UK analysis of the NHS staff survey found that one third of NHS staff in England (32%) are providing unpaid care. Carers UK estimate this to be over half a million people.[10] 

How can a workplace build a carer friendly community?

By taking a few simple steps, workplaces can help to build carer friendly communities. Whether an employer is large or small, there is a wide range of different types of support that can be adopted, helping carers to stay in work for longer whilst also helping employers to retain skills and experience in the workplace. This includes:

  • Understanding who unpaid carers are within your workforce.
  • Providing training to line managers to ensure they understand and support those juggling work and care.  
  • Providing employees with the flexibility they need at work to balance work and care. 
  • Implementing the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 well, giving up to five days unpaid Carers’ leave.  
  • Going one step further and providing employees with paid Carer’s Leave.  
  • Ensuring HR policies are clear about carers’ rights and any support available.
  • Senior leaders sharing their own personal experience of caring and fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace for all unpaid carers.    

Good practice example: TSB Bank plc. 

Our headline sponsor for Carers Week 2026 TSB, shared some of the ways they support colleagues with caring responsibilities:  

TSB Bank plc. is a retail bank, serving customers through digital channels, over the phone and in branches across the UK, with over 5,000 employees. 

As an Employers for Carers active member, and a Carer Confident Ambassador, TSB is committed to supporting employees with caring responsibilities. TSB recognises that flexibility and understanding are essential to help employees balance work and care and that anyone with caring responsibilities is an asset – with their own life skills and work experience. 

In June 2020, TSB introduced a Carer’s Policy, giving employees with caring responsibilities access to 70 hours of paid Carer’s Leave each year and a Carer’s Passport – so carers need only tell their manager once throughout their TSB career about their situation. 

Carers at TSB describe the policy as a ‘4th emergency service’, which allows them the flexibility they need to support short or longer-term caring needs. A TSB colleague added: “Having the passport in place meant I could easily share what my caring responsibilities with my team, and TSB’s Carers Leave Policy has enabled me to work flexibly. I can take full or part days, so I’ve been able to work when I can – sometimes for a sense of normality – but I’m also able to take a step back when I need to be at the hospital.” 

On average, employees took four days of paid leave in the last twelve months, with more than 9,600 hours used since the launch of the policy. 

TSB’s broad package of support not only attracts but also retains caring colleagues, with carers in the company more likely to have longer service than non-carers: “TSB’s Carers Policy meant I could take the time I needed whilst my son was in hospital – an amazing weight off my shoulders.”  

Resources

References

  1. Carers UK (2025) State of Caring 2025: Thinking ahead – supporting carers to manage their finances 
  2. Carers UK (2024) Taking the next step: introducing a new right to paid Carer’s Leave
  3. Carers UK (2019) Juggling work and care – a growing issue
  4. Petrillo, M., Bennett, M.R., and Pryce, G. (2022) Cycles of caring: transitions in and out of unpaid care. London: Carers UK. 
  5. Carers UK (2023) Carers’ employment rights today, tomorrow and in the future
  6. WPI Economics Report for Carers UK (2024) Poverty and financial hardship of unpaid carers in the UK 
  7. Now Pensions / Pensions Policy Institute (2025) The Under Pensioned Report 2025
  8. DWP (2025) The cost of working age ill-health and disability that prevents work 
  9. All-Party Parliamentary Group for Young Carers & Young Adult Carers (2023) Inquiry into the life opportunities of young carers and young adult carers 
  10. NHS Staff Survey staff survey (2023)

Find out about building carer friendly communities in: 

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