World Mental Health Day: A focus on those who juggle care and professional duties

Chris Denny, Partnerships Director at Curam

World Mental Health Day should be a day for employers to pause and take stock of how they are supporting their employees. This year, I’d like to encourage businesses and HR managers to pay special attention to employees who are juggling caregiving responsibilities with their professional lives.

Caregiving, whether for children, elderly relatives or other dependents, can be incredibly demanding, leading to heightened stress levels that impact both physical and mental wellbeing. The impact on unpaid caregivers is vast, with 27% reportedly in a bad or very bad state of mental health.

Recognition that professional employees sometimes have care responsibilities on their shoulders, which is in no small part due to the UK’s outdated and ineffective care system, is growing. This year we saw the introduction of the Carers’ Leave Act, which is helping to build more compassionate workplaces, but beyond this conte HR leaders must ensure that employees’ wellbeing is considered.

Recognising the signs of stress in caregivers

 

Taking care of someone can be a rewarding but exhausting role, especially for someone who also has a job. Managing the stress of both these duties can easily lead to burnout if left unchecked. Stress can manifest in a variety of ways, and HR managers should be attuned to these signs – especially if they know certain employees have care responsibilities.

Common signs of stress include:

• Difficulty relaxing
• Constant worry or anxiety
• Mood swings
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Low self-esteem
• Changes in eating habits

Stress management techniques, such as eating and exercising well, building resilience, taking a break and setting boundaries should be clearly communicated to employees and regular check-ins offered.

How HR departments can support caregivers

 

Beyond offering solutions when stress does become overwhelming, employers should build workplace cultures that are sensitive to people who have dependents to take care of.

 

This can be achieved through promoting flexible working arrangements such as remote work, part-time hours or job sharing, which allow employee caregivers to manage unforeseen changes in circumstances. Establishing clear, simple processes for requesting care leave, alongside training line managers to handle these requests with empathy and legal knowledge ensures employees feel empowered to take advantage of their entitlements.

In addition, HR can create peer support networks or mentorship programmes that offer emotional and practical assistance to caregivers. Leveraging technology platforms which integrate with employee benefits systems can also give employees easy access to affordable, vetted Care Professionals, easing the burden and offering them some respite.

Uplifting caregivers on World Mental Health Day

 

HR departments must recognise the toll that care duties can take on employees throughout the year, but let this World Mental Health Day be an opportunity to check.

Failing to do this will lead to poor health outcomes for employees and make them less likely to be able to continue to work. Prioritising a proactive approach will lead to a healthier, happier overall workforce, demonstrating the clear benefits of offering meaningful support to employee caregivers.

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