Carer Positive

Carer Positive’ aims to raise awareness of the growing number of carers in the workforce, and to award recognition to those employers with good practice in supporting these employees. Over employees are now working in organisations proud to call themselves “Carer Positive” employers in Scotland. With as many as 1 in 8 of the workforce estimated to be juggling work with caring responsibilities, employers are increasingly recognising the need to support and retain employees who are carers. There are around unpaid carers in Scotland, with this figure forecast to increase significantly as the population ages. Combine this with the fact that we are all working longer, and it is easy to understand that more and more people in the working population will have caring responsibilities at home. Launched by the Scottish Government in June 2014, employers of all sizes and across all sectors are taking part and those already awarded include local authorities, health boards and other public bodies; utility companies; further and higher education institutions; and a range of voluntary sector organisations and private companies. One of the key messages behind the award is that supporting employees who are carers is not only beneficial to individuals and their families, but also to employers, by helping to attract and retain skilled and valuable members of staff. The benefits to employers of having ‘carer friendly’ policies and working practices can include reduced levels of stress and sickness absence, lower recruitment and training costs, increased staff retention, morale and productivity levels.