At Queen’s we care about the physical health, mental health and wellbeing of our staff. We are committed to providing a supportive and compassionate environment, where people feel comfortable to talk openly about the things happening in their lives and to seek support, advice and information to help balance competing daily demands.

With 1 in 7 people in any workplace juggling work with caring responsibilities it is vital that line managers make carer-friendly policies work.

In the 2022 QUB staff pulse survey which had a 66% response rate (2823 staff), almost 1 in 5 (551) of respondents said they had caring responsibilities for a dependant older person (s) and almost 1 in 10 (255) of respondents said they looked after a person/persons with a disability/disabilities’.

Support and understanding from line managers towards carers makes good business sense as it can help attract and retain staff, reduce recruitment and training costs, reduce stress, increase resilience and productivity, reduce sick leave and absenteeism, increase staff morale and loyalty.

Top Tips

Line Managers should familiarise themselves with the Carers Website, Carers Passport and the various Queen’s work-life balance policies. They should also ensure that members of their team are aware of the dedicated Carers website go.qub.ac.uk/Carers.

Flexibility is a lifeline for working carers

This can be either formal flexible working, informal agile working, flexible leave or just adopting an overall flexible approach within the workplace, such as allowing flexibility with start and finish times, access to their mobile phone and/or remote working where the role allows.

Create a Supportive Culture

Encourage your staff to complete a Carer Passport. Once the line of communication is open, both parties can be honest about what they need and how it can be achieved.

Staff should also be made aware of the Carers Network at Queen's which can provide them with a welcoming space to meet other carers, support each other, share experiences and information and feedback to the University on relevant matters.