The telecommunications company recently joined Carers UK to mark the achievements of carer-inclusive workplaces at its iconic BT Tower.
Carers UK this year marks its 60th anniversary of working to make life better for unpaid carers and by chance the event coincided with the BT Tower marking its own 60th year. It was an opportunity to recognise leading employers who are committed to creating carer-friendly workplaces.
BT has led the way with its practices in this area and helped lay the foundations of the ‘Employers for Carers’ membership forum over 15 years ago. This champions and promotes effective practice for working carers, with the specialist knowledge of Carers UK. The Employers for Carers benchmarking scheme, Carer Confident, works to help employers build inclusive workplaces for both current staff who are carers and future employees.
Around 1 in 7 people are now juggling work with caring for someone who is older, disabled, has an illness or long-term condition, and as our population ages, this is becoming more commonplace. At the same time, Carers UK’s research shows that over 600 people a day give up work to care. The consequences of this can be long lasting, not only for unpaid carers who are impacted by poorer health than non-carers, lost income, an inability to save for the future and missed career opportunities, but also for UK businesses who lose an estimated £8.2 billion every year due to staff absence, turnover and stress
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said:
“Employers for Carers began as just 12 companies and organisations, of whom BT was a genuine trailblazer. They understood that their employees with caring responsibilities needed recognition and support to be able to stay in the workplace.
“Now, there are 250 members representing over three million employees across the UK, and we have seen 120 Carer Confident accreditations, including those awarded for the first time, renewing their accreditation or moving up a level.
“Carers UK is urging more employers to go further, looking at their workplaces now and in the future, to adopt more carer-friendly measures to help a fast-growing number of employees who juggle work and unpaid care.”
Jon James, CEO of BT Business, who spoke at the event said:
“Our work alongside Carers UK is a crucial part of ensuring all carers at BT are recognised, valued, and supported with their caring responsibilities. We’ve held this long-term commitment not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also as it ensures we enable people to remain productive, benefiting both our company and the wider economy.
“Carers UK have driven enormous change for carers in the workplace, while enabling their loved ones to receive care and support that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. I’m looking forward to continuing our collaboration and driving further progress.”
Find out more about Employers for Carers and the Carer Confident benchmarking scheme here .
Picture caption: Jon James, CEO of BT Business, with Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK.
