Having caring responsibilities whilst working can be challenging
At AXA, our people caring for family members who require eldercare or care due to a serious health condition and/or disability, are able to access an additional five days of fully paid leave to support their loved ones.
Our Carers@AXA employee network group also offer our people invaluable support. Its allies are raising awareness and driving change to support those with caring responsibilities and the teams around them.
Hear from our Carers@AXA Chair and some inspirational stories of our people who do amazing work looking after others whilst balancing their jobs at AXA.
I look after my mum and two siblings with learning difficulties and neurodiversities. My caring responsibilities are varied, I support my mum with life admin, emotional support and supporting her on what she needs to do if she’s unsure. I support my 2 siblings and their management with external services. I often receive frantic calls from mum especially if she’s worrying, which means I need to stop what I’m doing, assess the situation and suggest an outcome for next steps.
The Carers@AXA network has supported me by being around like-minded colleagues who are in similar positions who understand the situation entirely without needing to explain it. I’ve been able to share my experiences and seek advice which has helped me to manage caring and my job.
I look after my 91-year young mum, Pauline. She lives with myself, my daughter and the dog and has had Alzheimer’s dementia for the past 8 years or so.
Our roles in looking after her are many and varied; from full personal care, cooking, sometimes even feeding her, to general entertainment and chief TV channel changer. It’s a constant juggle between myself and my daughter to ensure someone is home at all times.
I work a 9 day fortnight with the support of my manager who has been really understanding throughout the different stages of my carers journey. I’m lucky I can flex my working day to meet appointments and the 9-day working pattern helps provide more consistency for me and the team around me.
Having the Carers@AXA network behind me has been invaluable. Knowing that I’m not alone in my juggles and that I have people I can talk too and get advice from when things are tough.
My husband Chris suffered a stroke on his spine in 2016 that left him paralysed on one side of his body and with weakened limbs on the other. He has limited mobility and a raft of other medical conditions – his consultant said that his insides are like a "car crash". I’m his full time carer.
I pretty much do everything in (and out) of the house, as Chris is unable to hold or carry anything – some days he can barely walk or move. I help shower and dress him every day, he’s lost the dexterity in his hands and is unable to write anymore and he struggles with a knife and fork.
All my managers at AXA have been great – really understanding and flexible and, whilst it hasn’t affected my attendance at work or my performance (I have asked) it can be a struggle at times – especially if Chris is unwell or has had a bad night. Having the flexibility to work from home has been a huge help but it’s still good to go into the office, I just need to make sure our friends or neighbours keep an eye on Chris.
The help, advice and support from others going through similar caring responsibilities helps me stay sane and I love sharing my experiences to help others know they are not alone and there is help out there.
Caring for a person is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have, but it also can have a huge impact on your mental and physical health and relationships. Sharing experiences with others and having a support network is invaluable and I’m proud of all those that continue to share their stories to inspire and educate others.
