Crawford and Company launches carers policy for UK employees

Crawford and Company has launched a carers policy and support framework for employees in the UK and Ireland.

The move will see staff be offered a week of paid carers’ leave annually, which can be taken an hour at a time, as well as in larger blocks.

The claims management firm will also support employees caring for adults in the same way it supports parents – it will do this by providing additional unpaid leave that mirrors existing parental leave.

Lisa Bartlett, international chief operating officer at Crawford and Company, said: “A growing number of people are battling with balancing work and care.

”At Crawford, we want to support our employees with those responsibilities, whatever their life stage.

”Being able to manage the pressures of both roles can be extremely challenging and it is imperative that companies acknowledge this. As an employer, Crawford is focused on retaining talent and this new policy is designed to support employee wellbeing so our people can continue in their roles while managing their caring responsibilities.”

’Care Out Loud’

This came after the 2021 Census, published in March 2021, revealed there were 2.5m unpaid carers in employment in England and Wales.

And Carers UK estimate that an average of 600 people a day leave work to provide care, while 75% of carers in employment had concerns about their ability to continue balancing work and caring responsibilities.

Crawford and Company said its new policy would come with a Care Out Loud culture, a new way for employees to talk to colleagues about their caring responsibilities.

The initiative has been designed to help normalise employees’ caring activities by encouraging openness.

”It also introduces the Caring For Others Network Group to encourage employees to share their experiences with colleagues,” the firm said.

Bartlett added: “Caring can have a major impact on health and wellbeing and carers can often feel lonely.

“Crawford’s Caring Out Loud culture and the Caring For Others Network Group will help to relieve the burden on our employees who have an additional role as carers and will connect them with colleagues in order to share their experiences.”