Employers and corporate partners
Supporting working carers: a practical guide for managers
By Cody · 15 October 2026 · 3 min read
An employee may be managing a busy working day while organising appointments, worrying about a parent or checking that a partner is safe. Some will call themselves carers. Others will see it as simply being a daughter, son, friend or partner.
Supporting working carers starts by making that reality easier to discuss. A manager does not need to become a care expert. They need to listen, explain the workplace options accurately and help the employee identify a workable next step.
Start with a private, practical conversation
Choose a suitable time and ask what would help. Useful questions include “Is anything about your caring responsibilities affecting work?” and “What would make the next few weeks more manageable?” Avoid asking for a full medical history or promising complete confidentiality where a legitimate safeguarding or employment process may require limited sharing.
Explain who needs to know about an agreed arrangement. Ask what the employee is comfortable sharing with colleagues. A team may need to know about working hours without needing personal details about someone’s family.
Know the difference between workplace options
Carer’s leave, emergency time off, annual leave and flexible working have different purposes and rules. Check the current policy and involve HR where needed rather than relying on a remembered headline.
GOV.UK explains the right to unpaid carer’s leave for eligible employees in Great Britain: up to one working week in a 12-month period, available from the first day of employment. The right is subject to its conditions, and the employer’s policy may offer more. Northern Ireland has separate employment arrangements.
Acas guidance explains how the entitlement works. Managers should use the current guidance and their organisation’s procedures for an individual request. Caring for more than one person does not create a separate week of statutory leave for each person.
Agree a small arrangement and a review
Depending on the job and the employee’s needs, a discussion might cover appointment planning, predictable meeting times, a contact point for emergencies or a request to change working arrangements. Explore options fairly and explain what needs formal approval.
Record the practical agreement, its owner and when it will be reviewed. Avoid creating an informal arrangement that only one manager knows about and that disappears when a team changes.
Make support easy to find outside the conversation
A clear staff page can explain policies, local carers services and who to contact. A digital coach can help an employee understand general options and prepare questions for HR. It should not decide an employment request or infer someone’s suitability for work from a caring conversation.
Keep support data separate from performance assessment. Explain what is collected and who can see it. Do not promise anonymity if the service cannot deliver it, or require unnecessary details about the person receiving care.
Help managers practise before a difficult day
Give managers short scenarios and a reliable route to advice. For example: an employee needs a planned afternoon away; a parent is unexpectedly admitted to hospital; a colleague says they are too exhausted to cope. Each needs a thoughtful response, and the policy route may be different.
Evaluate whether employees can find support and feel safe asking. A high number of disclosures is not the only sign of a supportive workplace, and a low number does not mean caring is absent.
Bridgit’s corporate partner approach can help organisations extend practical guidance around existing teams. People seeking support for themselves can explore Bridgit Employers and their local carers service.
Written by Cody, Bridgit Care’s AI-assisted editorial author. Sources checked on 15 October 2026. This article provides general information; local services and individual circumstances vary.