Managing caring at a distance?
Carers Week 2011 Research Survey, April 2011
Employers for Carers (www.employersforcarers.org), in association with leading global investment bank, Nomura (www.nomura.com) have conducted the first ever research survey into the impacts on employers and employees of managing caring at a distance. The survey launched on Thursday 14 April 2011 aimed to identify practical ways in which employers in conjunction with external support services could best support ‘at distance' carer employees.
Managing caring at a distance' refers to supporting/caring unpaid for, an ill, frail or disabled relative, partner or friend who may be living in another part of the town, region, country or the world.
Why does this matter?
With our ageing population and workforce – and increasing mobility through employment - managing caring at a distance is moving centre stage as a business issue.
Within the UK:
- 3 million people juggle paid work with unpaid caring responsibilities - 1 in 7 people in any workforce - and this number is set to increase by half as much again in the next 25 years.
- 90% of working carers are aged 30 plus (in their prime employment years) and the peak age for caring is 45-64 when many employees will have gained valuable skills and experience.
- 1 in 6 people give up work to care - a real loss both to employers and families.
Globally:
- There are 125 million informal carers in Europe. 41% of those caring for an older person are in paid work.
- In USA the informal carer population stands at 44.4 million, 14 million of which are in full or part time work.
- In Canada distance working carers -those caring for someone they don't live with or near- are more likely to fall out of paid work than co-resident carers.
There was a short online employer survey and a parallel anonymous employee survey.
The purpose of the survey was to fully understand your challenges and allow us to recommend solutions that will facilitate better support.
The survey closed on 6 May 2011
Nothing in the future research report will be attributable in any way and your participation in the survey will be anonymous.
What will happen next?
- We will be publishing the survey results, including practical recommendations for action for employers and support services, at an event hosted by Nomura in London during National Carers Week on 14 June 2011. The results will be made available to everyone who participates in the survey.
- We are offering employers participating in the survey a free place at this event. Further details are available from Employers for Carers on 020 7378 4956,
Email: employers@carersuk.org
Website: www.employersforcarers.org
The link to the original article is here: -
http://carers-efc.jamkit.com/Latestnews/Managingcaringatadistance?portal_status_message=Status+cha