Wavemaker Supports Its Carers and Breaks Down the Stigmas

"There are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers. Caregiving is universal." - Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the United States.

To celebrate Carers Week earlier in the year, Wavemaker’s Family Employee group paid tribute to Wavemaker employees who juggle caring responsibilities, alongside their demanding jobs. Caregiving often goes unseen and unrecognised, so it was important for Wavemaker Family to raise awareness and show support across the global network.

According to recent research from Carers UK, almost 5 million people in the UK combine paid employment with caring for older, disabled or seriously ill family members or friends; that equates to around 1 in 7 people in any workplace. This means you will almost certainly work alongside or manage someone with caring responsibilities at some point in your career. In recognition of this and the fact that juggling work, home, and carer responsibilities can be a struggle, the Wavemaker Family community built a virtual safe space internal website for caregivers and their line managers to help them easily find information and support resources. 

We never really know what is going on in other people’s lives, and what responsibilities they may have outside of work. So, to drive awareness and open communication in the workspace, some of Wavemaker’s carers shared their stories on the site about how they juggle caring responsibilities alongside their professional roles. We hope these stories will break down some of the stigma around caring and ensure that our people feel able to be open about their situation and ask for support. 

The breadth and depth of the Wavemaker employee stories demonstrated that caring could impact anyone at any time. Among the stories, we heard from Wavemaker’s global CEO, Toby Jenner, who has been supporting his daughter Mia as she recovers from Anorexia Nervosa, he described the reality of taking work calls from the hospital car park as life revolved around his daughter’s illness. We heard from Annie Allen, a global network lead, who is the sole carer for her husband Pete, who is in the mid-stage of Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative condition. Annie described the support of friends, family and Wavemaker as a lifeline. The support she receives from Wavemaker is providing the Huntington's disease association with an example for other affected families to discuss with their employers. We also heard from Andy Shelton, a precision executive, who during his first week at Wavemaker received a call that his partner had been involved in a serious accident and was being airlifted to hospital, where he remained in a coma for nine days and in hospital for almost two months. 

A common theme among our carers was that work could be a much-needed distraction and the support of kindness of colleagues was invaluable. While we never know what others are going through, open and compassionate work relationships provide psychological safety and can have a huge impact on positive mental health. To that end we also shared tips from Anna Hickey, global client president on how to support carers in your team. While we can’t wave a magic wand, we can strive to be a supportive employer, line manager and colleague. From our carers' experiences, we know that this can have a hugely positive impact on their lives.  

Tips for managing employees with caring responsibilities.

• Be very mindful of the balance you need to strike when asking questions as a line manager – it’s good to show you care by enquiring about how things are, and also to ensure you are aware of the latest status on things at home. But caring is an emotional rollercoaster, so picking your moment to ask, backing off when it’s not the right time, and being super sensitive to emotional cues is really important.
• It’s obvious but be as flexible as you can within the required deliverables of the business. Personally, I am not worried about the number of hours being worked or the pattern of those hours, as long as the important work deliverables are fulfilled. Others may have a different attitude, but you must recognise that flexibility will be needed - be open with your team members about the things that really are critical within their work and help them to prioritise so that workloads remain manageable.
• Recognise that there will be bad days when you as the line manager might need to look to other members of the team to step in and support the workload to take the pressure off the carer. Be prepared and know who you would ask if your carer was suddenly out of the business for a more prolonged period.
• Reassure them that you have their back – confidence can take a hit when you’re under huge pressure at home and juggling work. It can feel that you’re not doing a good job on either side, so offer reassurance regularly to your team members that they remain much valued, they are important to the business, and they are still being brilliant. I find in tough times small reassurances go a long way.
• Be human – work is work and undoubtedly the situation they have at home is far more critical and important than the work.

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