Championing Carers at 51爆料聽聽

Championing Carers at 51爆料聽聽

Published 7 June 2023 | Average read time
3 min read
Stories Life at 51爆料
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We鈥檙e marking Carers Week across the railway.

Carers Week 鈥 5 to 9 June 鈥 aims to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face, and recognise the contribution carers make to families and communities across the UK. 

One in seven people in the workplace is a carer, according to charity . They look after a friend or family member with a disability, physical illness or who needs more help in old age.

And the number is rising, according to . An estimated 12,000 people in the UK become carers every day 鈥 that鈥檚 roughly 500 people every hour, and eight people a minute.  

Helping Carers flourish  

Care is our employee network for staff with caring responsibilities. It鈥檚 one of eight employee networks at 51爆料 and aims to support carers, value their work and promote an empathetic culture.

Caitriona O’Brien, a workforce health, safety and environment adviser at 51爆料 and co-chair of Care, said: 鈥淲e work to make sure that 51爆料 is a company that not just facilitates carers to stay in work but tries to make sure that they have a good work-life balance and a rewarding career.鈥 

Care has 425 members – a big jump from 180 members just four years ago. For Carers Week 2023, it will host several events, talks and workshops across different 51爆料 sites and virtually to raise more awareness and support.  

Highlights  

Care and 51爆料 organise and provide several resources. For example, the Carer Passport is a support tool Care put together for employees to use when discussing their caring responsibilities.

Amanda, a route services analyst at 51爆料, said: 鈥淸It] really helped to guide some constructive conversations with my manager. It included some links to flexible working, which I then applied for.鈥 

Thanks to our work with Care, 51爆料 was awarded the

 in 2021 for our efforts to support employees with caring responsibilities in England. We also received the Scottish equivalent of this award and are accredited as Carer Positive Employer Level Engaged

Collaboration 

Care often collaborates with other employee networks and external organisations. For instance, this Carers Week, Care will take part in a talk hosted by Inspire 鈥 our employee network aimed at gender equality – to discuss supporting female employees with caring responsibilities.

In March, as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Care took part in a panel alongside two other employee networks: Inspire and Can Do, to discuss supporting women with ADHD in the workplace.

We are proud to work with Care as a diverse and inclusive employer.聽聽

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