What to say at work about your caring responsibilities

It’s up to you whether you say anything at work about your caring responsibilities – you don’t have to tell your employer or your colleagues. However, they’re unlikely to be able to give you the support you need if they don’t know what’s happening. 

You’re likely to need to plan some of your time around the needs of the person you are caring for, which can be difficult and unpredictable. It can be helpful to talk to your employer about your commitments and concerns.

You might find it helpful to find out more about your employer’s policy for supporting carers before you actually talk to them about your situation. You can do this by checking your contract, reading your employee handbook or intranet, or by talking to the company’s occupational health adviser.

You may then wish to talk to your line manager, HR/personnel manager, or staff or union representative about what your statutory entitlements are and what other support might be available to you from within the company.

Your colleagues can often be supportive and sometimes just having someone to talk to can be a real help. You may discover that other employees within the organisation are also carers, and sharing your experiences and challenges of working while caring can be useful.