Supporting our carer colleagues

Carers Week is time to celebrate those who provide unpaid care and support – be that young children, a family member or friend who has a disability, mental or physical illness, or someone who needs extra help as they grow older.

This year, in the shadow of Coronavirus, carers are under more pressure than ever, and they need our support. We are recognising that now, it’s time for us to come together and help Make Caring Visible.

At Wales & West Utilities, I’m proud of our approach to supporting our colleagues who care for others. We were one of the first utility companies to make a carers policy with a ‘Carers Passport’ available for colleagues. It’s celebrating its third anniversary this year.

We understand that caring responsibilities can have a substantial impact on colleagues – and as an employer we’re committed to supporting our colleagues’ wellbeing at home and in work. We hope that the Carers Passport, which sets out what support carers can get and where they can get it from, can help our colleagues to meet their caring commitments alongside working healthily and productively.

We recognise as a company as well that not all caring responsibilities are long term either, and the type of care needed varies as well. Often people think that caring just entails looking after the elderly and helping with household chores, but, those responsibilities are much more diverse: situations like separation, bereavement or illness can cause temporary upheaval in all our lives. Our Carers Passport is designed to be flexible, supporting our colleagues in any way we can.

So we’re proud to celebrate Carers Week and are committed to helping to Make Caring Visible this week and beyond.

Over the next few days we’re going to be profiling some of the stories of our colleagues who have different caring responsibilities at home. You can find out more here, and of course, keep up to date on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!