Supporting our colleagues with caring responsibilities - Anna's story

To coincide with Carers Week (10-16 June 2024), which aims to highlight the challenges of unpaid carers and help them access support, we’re sharing the experience of one of our colleagues with caring responsibilities outside of work.  

Hi, my name is Anna. I’ve been working at Anchor for almost a year in the Internal Communications team. I love my job, particularly talking to colleagues in a wide variety of roles and visiting care homes where I get the opportunity to chat to our residents. 

I joined Anchor after taking a career break to care for my son Woody who has a diagnosis of autism and a learning disability.

It was very refreshing to find an employer who understood that I have responsibilities outside of work which are very important to me but still values my experience and what I have to offer in my role.

Life can be tricky at home – balancing my son’s needs with the rest of the family and being an advocate for him to ensure he gets the support he needs at school and from the professionals involved in his care. Woody is a very loving, energetic boy but has very limited communication skills and we need to work hard with a routine to reassure him and keep him safe and regulated.

Having a reduced working hours contract that allows me to care for my son after school has made a huge difference to our lives. I’m extremely grateful to have a line manager who is supportive and flexible so that I can manage important medical or school appointments and still complete my work around this. 

Having this flexibility makes me feel valued and it makes me want to give my best in my role. I’m proud to be working for an organisation which is committed to being an inclusive place to work and respects the diversity of all our colleagues.

To me, Carers Week is really important because it puts a spotlight on those who have an unpaid caring role. Many of these people don’t see themselves as carers until they have been caring for a long time and they may have been missing out on vital support and access to services. 

There have been recent changes to legislation to help carers, including the Carer’s Leave Act which helps unpaid carers take additional unpaid leave. On a personal level, this will allow me to take some extra leave during school holidays which can be a challenging time to balance work with my other responsibilities.

I believe unpaid carers play a vital role in society which can be very rewarding but also has its difficulties. I’m really excited to be co-chairing Anchor’s new Carers Network. I hope to be able to support colleagues in a similar position to myself in caring for somebody outside of work – whether that’s a disabled child, a parent or friend – and help each other as we balance these responsibilities with our professional roles.

Anna Ashelford is Anchor's Internal Communications Officer