For carers in employment
A carer is any individual who provides care and support to a family member or friend who lives with a disability, mental illness, alcohol or drug dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who is frail due to age.
This page provides carers with information about their rights and responsibilities when balancing caring with employment. It also contains resources to assist carers to talk to their employer about their caring responsibilities and look after their own needs and the needs of the person they care for while at work.
Employment rights
The rights and entitlements carers have in employment are often not well known or understood. Carers are often unsure what kinds of flexibility and support they can ask for at work, or what they can do if they do not get what they ask for, or feel they have been treated unfairly.
The fact sheet below outlines the rights carers in NSW have at work and what they can do if these rights are not upheld.
Fair Work Commission resources
Click the links below to find out more about your rights and responsibilities as a carer when requesting flexible working arrangements, taking carers leave, and dealing with discrimination or harassment.
Income reporting responsibilities
Some carers who are in employment may also receive an income support payment from Services Australia, such as Carer Payment. It is important to be aware of your income reporting responsibilities and how your hours of work may impact your payments.
Conversations with your employer
The 2022 National Carer Survey found that disclosing your caring role to your manager is an important step in accessing flexible working arrangements.
You may want to consider the following things when thinking about talking to your employer:
- It is a personal decision - you do not have to disclose that you are a carer
- Are there policies in place to support employees with caring responsibilities?
- Seeking out other colleagues who are carers might help you gauge how supportive the workplace is
The Carers + Employers Talking to your employer fact sheet may help to navigate these types of conversations.
Services for the person you care for
Carers can often find it challenging to organise alternative care arrangements for the person they care for while they are at work. Carers may also feel overwhelmed or burned out from maintaining their caring role and employment simultaneously.
There is support available to enable carers to take a break and enjoy personal time in the form of respite or otherwise. Find out more via the links below.
Looking after yourself
Employment can be stressful, especially when juggling personal responsibilities outside of work hours, or even while you work. It is important for carers and those around them to keep an eye out for signs of poor physical, emotional, social and mental wellbeing, and seek support if required. The following resources may be helpful for maintaining wellbeing as a carer.
Connect with us
You can raise issues or concerns about an experience you have had balancing employment with your caring role by filling out the Carers NSW Policy Advice Form below.
This information is used to inform our policy work, including writing submissions and providing feedback to governments on key issues affecting carers.