Carers NSW is the peak non-government organisation for carers in NSW, a part of the National Carer Network, and a member of Carers Australia. It aims to improve carers' lives and works with other state and territory carer associations and carers, regardless of their age, location, life stage, and circumstances.
Carers NSW's Carers + Employers program helps organisations support their employees with caring responsibilities and offers three levels of accreditation, recognising certain standards.
For two years, Suncorp has been working with Carers NSW to step up its game on carer recognition, inclusion, and support in the workplace. Currently, one in five of its people (18.5%) identify as carers, outside of those who provide parental care (three-quarters of the team).
Suncorp group diversity & inclusion manager Catherina Behan said the Suncorp team stepped up from level 1 to 2 to support its community of carers facing the added complexity of navigating their responsibilities through significant uncertainty and change in recent years.
“We are committed to creating a supportive culture where employees feel comfortable disclosing their caring responsibilities, where they can learn from shared experiences, access external research, and grow a community of peers,” Behan said.
“We understand for many carers, the care of another person takes precedence over their own health and wellbeing. So, a big focus of ours has been beyond just creating special leave options so they can balance caring with work, but creating resources where they can look after themselves too.”
At the end of 2020, Suncorp became the first national employer accredited in Australia as a carer-friendly workplace by attaining level 1.
Commenting on Suncorp's commitment to becoming a carer-friendly workplace, Behan said the insurance giant has an employee resource group for carers and has hosted several webinars to provide employees a safe space to talk about their day-to-day and know they are not alone.
“There is always more to be done, but level 2 accreditation is great recognition for this work,” Behan said, adding that Suncorp aims to reach level 3 by 2024.
