Getting the balance right

Around one in six people in the UK have given up work to care for someone at some point in their careers. As the population ages the number of carers is only going to grow.

Many colleagues balance parental and caring responsibilities with their job. Our Parents & Carers steering group advocates for carers and helps managers provide the right level of support and advice to their teams and colleagues who need it.

People who have caring responsibilities often go without being identified in the workplace. We aim to help colleagues with such responsibilities balance these duties with their day-to-day working life.

Today, delivery office manager Cheryl-Ann Burrows, from Bourne delivery office, shares her experience of balancing work with being a single parent to two children, one of whom is disabled, as well as a carer for one of her parents.

‘I joined Royal Mail as a summer frontline casual 16 years ago in Ketton delivery office in the Peterborough area,’ said Cheryl-Ann.  ‘Following this, I was offered a full-time frontline delivery role in Stamford. I enjoyed this role and having young children I was able to build the job around my family commitments.

‘After 13 years in this role I completed the Springboard development programme for women. With my family lifestyle changing and my youngest son Cody starting at primary school, plus my eldest son Callum wanting Xbox’s and the latest fashion trends, as a single parent, I knew that I needed to look at my working life and how I could progress my career and continue to support my family financially.

‘My line manger suggested that I looked to apply for a deputy line manager role. I took this opportunity and was successful. I found the transition from a part-time delivery role to a manager challenging. I had to reprioritise my day and combine this with the changing routines of my family. I really feel that Springboard equipped me for this transition and I quickly utilised my skills to adjust to the change in hours and work demands.

‘For the next 12 months, I gained a lot of experience across the business in different offices as a deputy line manager. The experience was great, however, after a year I wanted to look for a more substantive role as a manager so I could take ownership of one role and also be able to forward plan my working day and my family life. I was successful in my application for the delivery office manager role in Spalding where I spent the next 18 months.

‘During this time, I experienced a number of changes in my family life that meant I needed to care for a parent and also be able to closely support one of my sons with a recent medical diagnosis. This meant that I needed to refocus my aspirations and career direction to look for a role closer to home.  I therefore looked for open roles that would suit me and fortunately, I was successful in my application for the delivery office manager role in Bourne.

‘I would suggest that you need to ensure that you are concentrating on what you need from your career even if at that moment in time, it is not a step upward but in fact a step closer to home. In doing this and being honest with yourself, you should then always share this with your manager so that they know your aspirations and can support you where needed.’

Parents & Carers

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Please visit the Parents & Carers steering group homepage to read more about the work the group is doing, and access a range of resources available to support you if you are caring for others.

We can help direct you to where you can obtain support with formal flexible working requests and approvals as well as advice on the types of flexible working available.

If you would like to share your story, learn more or get involved, please contact us at parents.and.carers@royalmail.com.