According to a recent study, almost half of cancer caregivers (48%) feel pressured to return to their jobs as soon as they can after taking time off to care for loved ones.
Reframe Cancer’s poll of 442 UK cancer caregivers found that those aged 18-34 felt the greatest pressure to return to their jobs. They were also most likely to start looking for new roles (40%) due to a lack workplace support.
Nearly four out of ten cancer caregivers (36%) said that they wanted to change jobs due to a lack in employer support while caring for cancer patients.
More than half of respondents (57%) said they felt completely unprepared to take care of a loved on with cancer, and did not know what was expected of them.
More than half (63%) of respondents said that caring for someone with cancer, such as the anxiety or worry caused by it, made it hard to continue working.
A similar percentage (62%) said that work is a good way to distract them. The same percentage also stated that they felt they could openly discuss being a caregiver with their colleagues.
Almost two thirds (63%) of respondents said that their manager expressed concern or interest after they were informed of their caring responsibilities.
Carers’ top answers when asked about resources or services that could help them manage their role as caregivers were flexible working hours (48%) and working remotely (40%). One quarter (25%) said it would be helpful if the need to take time off from work was acknowledged.
Mark Stephenson, CEO of Reframe Cancer said: “Providing the right level and support to cancer caregivers will be an increasing requirement for employers in the coming years.
“However it is really concerning that there are signs at this stage that caregivers, especially those aged between 18 and 34, feel rushed to return to work after taking time off, or do not feel a high level of support. Many want to change jobs because the experience has been so negative for them.
Stephenson said, “Carers are under enormous pressure to take care of a loved on who has cancer while juggling their work and giving up whatever spare time they may have.”
Separately, a survey by the return-to-work company Career Returners highlighted the increased obstacles that professionals face when attempting to reenter the workplace after taking a career break. This could be due to caring responsibilities, or simply because they are looking for a new job.
The report said that 94% of professionals returning to the workforce are having difficulty finding a job, compared to 92% last season. It said that 69% of professionals, up from the previous 64%, were facing “extreme difficulties”.
Over 30% of job seekers had applied for more than 50 roles. This is up from 27%. A total of 89% stated that taking a career break negatively affected their confidence.
The report found that 46% of respondents cited gaps in CVs as their greatest obstacle to recruitment, up from just 40% the previous year.
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