The Work & Families Act 2006 introduces, for the first time, the right to request flexible working for carers of adults.  There are 660,000 carers in Scotland 250,000 of whom combine their caring role with paid employment. One in five of all carers have given up work to care.  For those with caring responsibilities of more than 50 hours each week, more than half have given up employment to care.

Patrick Begley, Director of Carers Scotland said

"Each year over 170,000 people become carers – some overnight, some more gradually – so each day sees a new population of carers in the workforce. It is estimated that by 2037 there will be more than 1 million carers in Scotland. With 3 in 5 people becoming carers at some point in their lives, and given that 80% of carers are of working age, caring will affect most of the working population. As the peak age for caring is between 45 and 64, carers are often the most experienced and skilled employees in organisations.

With an ageing and declining population it will be essential for industry that carers have the choice to remain in or return to employment. Flexible working options can make it happen."

Employers and carers can build economic success

Improving productivity is a key concern for Government as we strive as a nation to improve economic growth and prosperity.  A key enabler of a more efficient and effective economy is flexible working. 

Research and the experience of many employers has found that the adoption of flexible working practices attracts and retains staff and reduces stress and sick leave .  Embracing flexible working also offers employers' significant cost savings and improved productivity and service delivery.  For example,  

• BT who offer a range of flexible working options, have 20% less absenteeism than the national average.
• Employers offering flexible working see an 20% productivity gain on average
• Every home worker saves BT around £6,000 per annum on overheads such as property costs.
• Through utilising flexible working, BT has saved £350 million in accommodation costs alone.

And it is not solely large employers who recognise the positive impact of flexible working.  Many small business employers recognise that flexible working practices can positively impact on their organisation, with 65% citing staff motivation and 50% increased productivity as key reasons to adopt them.  Flexible working results in a 7% improvement in job satisfaction – and happy people mean happy customers!

Brendan Dick, Director of BT Scotland, notes that flexible working has many benefits:

"BT has proactively promoted flexible working for over a decade.  It makes sense for companies large and small.  It benefits carers by reducing stress and giving a range of working options but it also benefits business.  Significant amounts are saved on travel and in BT's experience productivity has been significantly increased.  Flexible working can also mitigate carbon emissions through, for example, enabling employees to work at home and reducing travel, particularly at peak hours. 

Work is something we do – it isn't somewhere we go.  That's a change that flexible working can help deliver."

Service providers must play their part

Employers offering flexible working options are a major part of the equation to help carers remain in employment but service providers also have a significant role to play.  Many carers who wish to work or remain in employment are unable to do so because of the lack of flexible alternative care services.  One in three carers would return to work if the right alternative care were available.  The availability of reliable sources of appropriate alternative care can greatly improve the quality of life for carers and ensure that their skills are not lost to the workforce.  

Making it happen

Carers Scotland will hold a major conference "Work & Families: Get in on the Act!" for employers, service providers and parliamentarians to highlight the benefits of flexible working and the entitlements and requirements of the new Act.  The conference will be held: 

• On Wednesday 23rd May, 9.30am-3.30pm
• At The Royal Society of Edinburgh Conference Centre, George Street, Edinburgh

Delegates will have the opportunity to: hear about the benefits of flexible working and learn from the experiences of employers who have introduced successful work-life balance policies; learn from experts in the fields of organisational change, flexible working, and personalised service provision; and receive a briefing on the Work and Families Act and its implications for employers. 

The conference will also launch the "National Framework for Carers and Employment", and a Resource Pack for Employers, valuable new tools for those employers who wish to develop and implement flexible working policies and practices; and for health and social care services to provide more flexible services.

Patrick Begley, Director of Carers Scotland said

"For the past 18 months Carers Scotland has been leading a major initiative to develop a Framework for Carers and Employment to enable carers to remain in or return to the workforce.  The findings from this work and other research evidence the value of flexible working for society, business and employees.  That's why we are holding this conference – to demonstrate to employers that rather than being a burden, flexible working can reduce costs and increase productivity; and to highlight the need for health and social care services to provide a more flexible range of support services that give carers the choice to remain in or return to employment."

- Ends -

Note to Editors

1. Carers give so much to society yet as a consequence of caring, they experience ill health, poverty and discrimination.  Carers Scotland is an organisation of carers fighting to end this injustice. We will not stop campaigning until people recognise the true value of carers' contribution to society and carers get the practical, financial and emotional support they need.   Carers Scotland is here to improve carers' lives.  We fight for equality for carers. We want carers to have the same right as everyone else to an ordinary life – a fair level of income, access to support to protect their health and well being and access to the world of work, leisure and education.  We seek to empower carers. We want carers to be actively involved in the design, development and delivery of services. We want carers to be recognised and involved as key partners in the provision of health and social care services.  Carers Scotland achieves this by: campaigning for the changes that make a real difference for carers; providing information and advice to carers about their rights and how to get support; mobilising carers and supporters to influence decision-makers; gathering hard evidence about what needs to change; and transforming the understanding of caring so that carers are valued and not discriminated against.  Visit: www.carerscotland.org 
2. In Scotland, Action for Carers in Employment (ACE) is an initiative led by Carers Scotland in partnership with the Association of Directors of Social Work and the Equal Opportunities Commission, and funded by the European Social Fund. The initiative brings together statutory, voluntary and private sector agencies to raise awareness of the barriers facing carers who wish to work, and tests and promotes ways of supporting them.  Click here for more information.
3. For more information on the benefits of flexible working visit Employers for Carers.  Employers for Carers is a pioneering and influential special interest group chaired by BT, promoting the benefits to business of supporting carers in the workplace, which acts as an advisory group. Visit www.carerscotland.org/employersforcarers.  
4. 99% of BT employees return to work from maternity leave compared with the national average of 49%
5. In one case stress related absence was reduced by over a quarter (26 percent)
6. One business found productivity up by over 20 percent, equivalent to between £5-6 million on the company bottom line