Princes is proud to be going further than the UK requirement when the new Carers’ Leave Act comes into force on April 6.

The Act entitles employees to one week of unpaid leave every 12 months, typically the equivalent of five days. This can be taken as individual or half days across the year.

We have decided to provide carers with a more generous package – two weeks of leave annually, one week unpaid and one week paid.

This follows a project spearheaded by colleagues who act as carers within their own families.

This only applies to Princes colleagues in the UK. Colleagues at sites in Holland, Mauritius and Italy already have statutory provisions in place.

Jennifer Gallagher, Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Princes, said: “The introduction of the Carers’ Leave Act is an important step forward that recognises unpaid carers in the workplace for the first time.

“We know that many of our colleagues will benefit from this ground-breaking legislation, but as a business we felt that we should go further. Our stated ambition is to be an Employer of Choice and this means seeking ways to go further than the industry norm.

“The decision to provide UK colleagues with two weeks’ of care leave in a 12-month period aligns with our Colleague Value Proposition, and our determination to be a people-focussed, inclusive company.

“A key part of our Health and Wellbeing strategy is supporting our colleagues when they need us most and we know that caring responsibilities can have a detrimental effect on a carer’s own health and wellbeing.

“It is also an example of how we bring our values to life in a practical way that makes a difference to the working and personal lives of our colleagues.

“Importantly, the policy that we have announced was shaped as a direct result of input from colleagues who are carers to members of their own families.”

Under the Act, the right to take carers’ leave begins from day one of employment and can be taken by the employee to “provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need”.

Employees will have to give at least three days’ notice to take leave or, for a request of more than one day, double as long as the requested leave. This is separate to any emergencies that arise.

The Act covers dependants who require care for an illness or injury that means they are likely to need care for more than three months, or for a disability, or those who require care because of old age.

According to Carers UK, one in seven people in the workplace in the UK are juggling work with caring responsibilities.

We are also planning to roll out several other carer-related initiatives including a carers’ network, appointing a Carers Champion and celebrating Carers’ Rights Day on November 23. Further details about these activities will be shared during the year.

 

Carers Leave Case Study: Ria Joyce, Head of Commercial – Oils

For the last five years, Ria Joyce has juggled a busy career at Princes with caring for her grandmother.

When her grandmother Marie Joyce – or ‘G ’Ma’ as she is known – was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Ria moved back to her home city of Liverpool, joining Princes as a Senior Commercial Manager.

For the first year, Ria and her mum, also Marie, were on hand to provide support when needed, sorting out bills, medication and running other day-to-day errands.

But just over four years ago, as G’Ma’s condition worsened, mother and daughter decided to share full-time carer responsibilities.

This means that for half the week, they each live with Marie at her home in Knowsley and for the other half of the week they live at their respective homes in the city.

During this time, Ria even managed to get promoted to her current role at Princes as Head of Commercial – Oils.

Ria, 34, says: “Becoming a carer is never a role that you want and there is no interview for it.

“Other than two half days a week when G ‘Ma goes to a day centre, either me or my mum are there to support and care for her.

“On some days this could include dressing and feeding her, while on better days she is able to do some of this herself with our guidance. As her condition has deteriorated, so the number of hospital appointments and visits have increased. You just take each day as it comes. Sometimes G’Ma will even sit next to me while I am on a virtual work call.

“Both my mum and I are holding down full-time jobs. My mum works as a fraud investigator for The Charity Commission. We still have a lot of things we want to achieve with our careers and in our personal lives.

“I have always been fortunate that I have had good relationships with my line managers at Princes. There was one day I came into the office in tears and my manager was so supportive. He understood before I did that I was now a full-time carer to my grandmother.

“More people than ever are becoming carers and often don’t immediately realise it. In my current role, I manage a team of eight and four of us are caring for or have cared for relatives at some point.

“I am so pleased that the Carers Leave Act is coming into effect and to have been asked to provide input into how Princes could go even further with its colleague provision.

“The Act makes things clearer for line managers and carers. It removes the emotion when your life changes overnight. There is unfortunately still a stigma attached to being a carer when instead it is something that should be celebrated.

“This is something Princes has always been good at and I am proud that the company I work for is continuing to lead the way by offering colleagues more than the national requirement regarding leave.”

 

Carers Case Study: Amanda Atherden, Business Support Coordinator

Amanda Atherden says Princes’ Carers Policy will make a huge difference to colleagues who are caring for loved ones.

Amanda, along with her sister, cared for their mum Ann Bleasdale for over three years, initially providing round-the-clock care in her home and then, for 18 months, supporting with various needs after she moved into a care home.

She was pleased to be asked to support in shaping the new Princes’ Carers Policy and hopes that it will act as a legacy to her mum, who died in February.

Amanda, who lives in Wirral, said: “Caring for a loved one isn’t just about caring in the home. Even when someone moves into a care home there are still so many things that need to be done. This could be attending appointments with specialists, discussing medication or dealing with other matters like banking.

“It is incredibly challenging and stressful caring for someone who is extremely poorly. We had just lost our dad who had suffered a severe stroke when mum had a series of falls, broke her hip and then found out she had cancer.

“My sister and I initially did shifts providing mum with the care she needed 24 hours a day before 18 months ago moving into a care home. This took some of the pressure off us but there is still so much that needs to be done.

“I was fortunate that I had very understanding line managers at Princes, but not everyone is so lucky.

“People worry about what it looks like to take time off work and take sick days so they use holiday allowance to care for relatives. But you need your holiday more than ever in these circumstances for your own wellbeing. Losing your holiday allowance to caring for a loved one can make a stressful situation even worse.”

Amanda, who is married with a daughter and two step-children and has been at Princes for 13 years, added: “I was juggling so much with a busy home and work life and then caring for mum.

“I am so pleased that there is a new Carers Leave Act and even more pleased that Princes has introduced a policy that goes even further, and that I have played a small part in making this happen. It’s my legacy to my mum.

“With an ever-ageing population, this is a situation that the majority of people will find themselves in at some stage. The new Princes policy will ensure colleagues have the support they need when they need it.”