Every day, 2 million carers of working age wake up to care for somebody else. The chances are that this includes you or someone you know. Carers are friends, relatives, siblings, partners and neighbours. They provide full or part-time unpaid personal care, support and assistance to people of all ages. This includes people with disability, medical conditions, mental illness, frailty due to age and people who have alcohol and drug issues.
It’s important to remember that many carers balance their caring roles with paid work. In fact, for many workplaces at least 1 in 8 employees has a caring role. An employer’s positive and supportive attitude toward carers and workplace flexibility will make a significant difference to them, their family, and the person they care for. The Care Aware Workplaces initiative is designed to improve workplace arrangements for unpaid carers by encouraging employers to recognise and support carers in their business.
This initiative forms part of the Care Aware campaign. It was launched on 21 March 2013 and coincides with the Australian Government’s commitment to broaden the Fair Work Act to extend the right to request flexible work arrangements to more workers with caring responsibilities. Care Aware Workplaces is no cost, voluntary, self-managed and open to all Australian workplaces. It can make a significant difference to carers in the workplace and their families. Businesses that become Care Aware Workplaces will also benefit from increased staff commitment, satisfaction and productivity.
For more information or to register as a Care Aware workplace, visit the Care Aware Workplaces page to get your support material and dedicated guidebook.