Mind the caring gap

Whilst being a carer can be rewarding, for many working in the legal profession it is a challenging experience that often pulls carers away from the careers they have worked hard to build, impacting career progression, physical wellbeing and mental health.

A recent report published by RPC, the Next 100 Years and LawCare has highlighted the difficulties faced by carers in the legal sector, with the majority of those surveyed juggling their career and role as carer with either no support at all or with unpaid help only.

Many carers do not have access to employer support, with 48% of respondents sharing that they had to take annual leave because their firm did not offer alternative carer support.

Over three-quarters reported an impact on their mental health, and 70% on their physical health. 57% of respondents believed their caring role negatively impacted their career progression.

Caring for someone else isn’t so much of an ‘if’ but a ‘when’ for most of us. For women the chance you may need to take on a caring role is even higher.

To support those with caregiving responsibilities, employers in the legal sector need to foster more inclusive and supportive cultures and implement policies that address the unpredictable and emotional nature of caring.

Trust and flexibility

One of the most significant ways to support carers is to encourage flexibility. Trusting that carers want to work and will work as hard as they can is the approach that all organisations should take.

Providing flexibility to attend appointments, or flexing working hours as and when needed can be a real lifeline for those with caring responsibilities. This flexibility should be a given and proactively suggested, rather than something that has to be earned or fought for.

Hybrid and remote working are also valuable options for carers, helping them juggle their responsibilities more easily, avoid having to pay for outside help and be more productive in their work.

We also need to normalise part time and flexible work. Past Next 100 Years research has identified that many women consider working part time to be detrimental to their career. It should, however, be possible to work the hours that accommodate your caring responsibilities and thrive in your career so we need more acceptance of different kinds of working patterns.

Managers can make a really positive difference to carers’ day to day lives so ensuring they are equipped to support carers on their teams is a priority. People who feel valued, appreciated, and trusted are more likely to demonstrate their commitment, ability and loyalty and are more likely to raise concerns early and seek support.

Managers’ skills and knowledge should be developed so they can have open conversations about caring with their teams and signpost appropriate support.

Supporting carers will also be made easier if there is a clear, defined carer’s leave policy that carers and line managers can easily refer to. This can help relieve some of the burden and stress that many may feel, while having a standardised approach that is widely acknowledged means carers aren’t reliant on their manager’s discretion.

A policy that is easy to locate also allows those who aren’t yet comfortable enough to disclose their situation at work to know where to turn for information and resources.

Breaking barriers

Caring responsibilities should be factored into career progression conversations. The additional burden on women and the expectation that they will be the ones to take on caring roles should also be acknowledged. Representation of women at more senior and partnership level remains lower than it should be and firms need to be aware that caring is one of the barriers to progression and proactively manage that.

That means, for example, understanding how roles can be modified and supported to be more flexible. Organisations should also be mindful of those with caring responsibilities when planning work or social events and factor this in when it comes to appraisals, career development opportunities and promotion.

Many carers simply need a little extra flexibility and trust from time to time to be able to do their best work. That’s okay and not a sign of weakness or lack of commitment. We need more kindness and understanding from colleagues so that although people’s caring responsibilities often happen out of sight, they are certainly not out of mind.

If the legal profession can get this right, it will benefit from dedicated and loyal employees, see less attrition and ultimately more women taking on senior positions.

Rachel Pears is a carer and head of responsible business and employment counsel at RPC. Dana Denis-Smith is founder of the Next 100 Years and CEO of Obelisk Support