Commerce marketing agency SMG recognises the pressures felt by its employees with sandwich caring responsibilities and has put in place a number of initiatives to support their mental wellbeing.
With nearly 500 employees based out of London, Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and North America, the organisation has many employees that fall into the sandwich generation of caring outside of work for close relatives, including children and elderly members of their family or friends.
Jodie Dunnington, people director, says: “Some pressures [a person] might face include unpredictable needs where they might need to take time off. There might be times where caring responsibilities take over, [such as] appointments, emergencies due to illnesses, and needing to constantly flex [their time].
“Another pressure could be the knock-on effect on [their] workload. Based on needing to take unpredictable time off, that can result in longer hours worked to get things done based on deadlines.”
Juggling the demands of caring responsibilities can lead to exhaustion and burnout, and individuals not treating their own wellbeing as a priority, adds Dunnington. To address these issues, SMG has implemented a range of initiatives to support its employees.
It has introduced core hours so that employees can choose to work early or finish later. Its core working hours are 10am until 4.30pm to allow employees time to balance their working day with caring responsibilities. The employer encourages no-meeting zones, so that internal meetings are only scheduled within the core working hours.
SMG also offers wellbeing and mental health resources, including an employee assistance programme (EAP), quarterly wellbeing days in addition to annual leave, wellbeing spotlights and communications, and a wellbeing fund of £1,800 a year to pay towards items that support employees’ personal development. This can be put towards things like gym membership or private healthcare, explains Dunnington.
“We have also introduced a health cash plan which is available for employees and their dependents, paid for by the [employer] to support with the financial payments of health-related costs,” Dunnington says.
“We have a very open and honest environment, and encourage conversations. We try to support realistic deadlines and make sure workloads are manageable for those that need to take care of others.”
The organisation also offers paid parental leave and care leave, as well as emergency paid leave. It also has an employee resource group for parents to share experiences and advice.
In terms of the organisation’s support for working carers, Dunnington says: “It helps employees feel valued and supported, and that their personal and professional experiences are being thought of.
“Offering this level of support fosters an inclusive workforce so ensuring that caregivers, regardless of their personal responsibilities, have equal opportunities.”
