Information for Managers and Team Leaders

Click to download this page as a PDF

As a manager or team leader you have an important role in establishing a supportive working environment for all members of your team, including those with caring responsibilities. One in eight Australians currently has caring responsibilities. Academic and other research predicts the number of people who have caring responsibilities will increase as the number of people requiring care, as a result of the ageing population, increases.[1]

Even if you do not have team members with caring responsibilities now, the odds are that eventually one of your team, or you, will have caring responsibilities. Therefore, it is important that managers and team leaders are prepared to support employees combining work and care. As a manager or team leader you should talk to your agency’s Human Resources team about the range of flexible work arrangements, support options, and leave entitlements that may be available to employees.

It is also important when considering requests for support to think about the effect that supportive arrangements will have on the rest of your team, including workload levels, and the operational requirements of the team. You may need to make additional adjustments to ensure all team members are supported and operational requirements are satisfied.

What support can managers and team leaders provide?

As a manager or team leader your first response on becoming aware that a member of your team has caring responsibilities should be to listen and gain an understanding of their situation. Only then should the appropriate support be considered and discussed with the team member. In some instances team members may just want to talk about their situation and are not currently seeking any adjustment or support.

Appropriate support that managers and team leaders can provide may include the following:

• Starting a respectful conversation with the team member about how they are feeling, and educate yourself on the type of care role the person is undertaking. This will allow you to understand their situation and respond sensitively and appropriately. You may consider reminding them of the support available (detailed in the main resource kit), but there is also value in just listening to what they are saying and not trying to solve their problems.
• Encouraging them to get involved/remain involved in the social activities in the workplace, especially workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.
• If practical, asking them if they require any assistance with work tasks, including the appointment of a colleague as a ‘work buddy’.[2]

Ongoing support arrangements

When considering requests from team members who have caring responsibilities, managers and team leaders need to take into account whether there is a short or long-term need. This would also include whether the caring role could vary over a period of time. Workplace flexibility arrangements allow for a full-time employee to adjust their hours to part-time. Part-time employment is an option which may also be suitable for employees who have caring responsibilities.

Because caring responsibilities can vary over time, managers and team leaders should have regular discussions with the team member to assess whether the current arrangements remain suitable. It may be that other support measures are needed, which can be accommodated without having a detrimental effect on the work area.

It is up to the employee with caring responsibilities to accept or decline any support offered. If the team member does not think they need any support at the time, remind them that you are always open to discussing the support if they change their mind.

Supporting training and development for employees who are carers

Training and development forms an important part of all employees’ career progression. However, because of the sometimes unpredictable nature of caring needs, many carers may not participate in, or may be hesitant to undertake, training and development. Managers and team leaders should monitor the training and development needs and activities of people who have caring responsibilities in their team closely, identifying barriers to participation in training and development, and implementing strategies to facilitate participation.

Addressing development accessibility issues can involve:

1. identifying training and development opportunities that will assist the person in their role;
2. discussing the team member’s situation with them to identify any challenges to their training and development, or other impacts on their career development; and
3. developing a plan with the team member to facilitate access to beneficial training and development opportunities.

Q&A for managers and team leaders

This sub-section provides advice to managers and team leaders on some of the trickier situations that may arise when it comes to supporting team members who have caring responsibilities.

A team member needs to urgently leave the workplace during work hours because of their care responsibilities.

Many people care for family who are ill, including children or elderly parents. Employees in these caring situations may need to rush off during work hours or require time off at short notice to attend to urgent situations.

• In these instances, make sure the team member is okay to leave work to attend to the situation, for example, if the employee is distressed it may not be safe for them to drive.
• If appropriate, check with the team member if there are any important work-related matters that need to be reassigned.
• Leave arrangements and the appropriate approvals for their absence are not a priority at this point. Remember, most systems allow leave to be submitted retrospectively.
• Make sure you check in with the team member in these situations at an appropriate time. However also keep in mind that they may not know exactly when they will be returning to work.