New UCL staff guidance on supporting working parents and carers

3 million people in the UK juggle paid work with unpaid caring responsibilities: 1 in 7 people in any workforce.

Looking after dependants is an issue that is likely to affect the majority of the workforce at some point in their working lives, particularly as people are living longer.

UCL has a long history of being inclusive. For this value to have meaning today it is crucial that it is translated into the 21st century working environment. What this means in this context is that every effort should be made to support those with responsibilities outside work to achieve a sustainable work-life balance.

As a forward-looking institution UCL has a role to play in transforming traditional gender roles so that men feel empowered to play an active role in supporting their partners by looking after their young families and other dependants. We recognise that the family unit is very different from twenty or thirty years ago and that there are more lone parents, gay parents, step families and other non-traditional arrangements.

This new guidance looks at the working rights and entitlements for staff with dependants, specific UCL policies to aid staff to work flexibly as well as a number of case studies and suggestions to help managers to support staff with dependants.

Click here to download the full document.

Professor Mary Collins, Dean of Life Sciences & UCL's Gender Equality Champion