Leading on All Fronts: Is Sharing Your Caring Experience a Strength at Work?

When you're a parent carer, you don't just coordinate care - you coordinate everything. Appointments, schedules, payroll, safeguarding, medication, meals, emergencies. And you do it while trying to show up at work as a professional, not "just" a carer.

So when I joined a webinar that actually named this reality, it felt like someone had finally turned the lights on.

I recently joined a webinar called Leading on All Fronts: Carer, Founder, Force for Change, organised by IP Inclusive - an initiative devoted to promoting equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing across the UK's IP professions.

It was a conversation between Marianne Privett and guest Helen Burness, legal marketer, and it was full of moments that resonated. Their discussion captured the lived reality of what work-life feels like for parent/carers and carers in a way that felt both validating and energising.

One point Helen made really stayed with me: that work sometimes offers rare space to reclaim your identity - space to be "Helen" rather than constantly operating in the caring role. Around the (virtual) room, there were so many nods of recognition. We all felt that deep disconnect that comes when colleagues or managers don't quite understand that caring is 24/7, 365 days a year, always on duty.

And just to be clear, none of this is about lacking love for the people we care for. That love is at the heart of why we do what we do. But the reality is: parent/carers don't get to choose this role - it is simply their life. And they do it with love.

How can employers better support staff with caring responsibilities?

Here are some simple, practical approaches that can make a real difference:

1. Build in flexibility
   Carers navigate unpredictable days. Flexibility isn't a luxury - it's survival.

2. Plan ahead
   Avoid last-minute meetings or events where possible. Carers depend on planning and routine.

3. Consider time demands beyond standard hours
   Early starts, evening work, or out-of-hours commitments land differently for carers. Recognise the load.

4. Create safe spaces
   A space where parent/carers can connect, decompress, laugh, vent, or simply talk can be invaluable.

5. Be open to feedback
   Small adjustments or accommodations can have a huge impact.

6. Lead with understanding and empathy
   Caring is emotionally, physically, and logistically heavy. Kindness goes a long way.

7. Don't fear the "floodgates"
   Supporting carers doesn't open floodgates - it opens up loyalty, trust, and often improved productivity.

Some broader reflections from the session

• Parent/carers are often underestimated. They're passed over for promotions or senior roles because employers assume they "won't have the time." In reality, carers are usually expert multitaskers - juggling plates most people don't even see.

• Carers should empower themselves with knowledge. Understanding employment law and carers' rights is important.

• The responsibility shouldn't fall only on carers. Workplaces should initiate these conversations - not rely on carers to continually advocate for themselves.

• Connect with organisations like Carers UK. Networking sessions like the one I attended are rich with insight and solidarity.

• Own your narrative. Being open about your situation can be liberating and can garner respect (though not always, and that in itself says something).

The question I posed in the session

I asked: Do you think leaders with lived experience of caring for a family member can help surface and open this conversation?

It feels important. People with lived experience bring depth, empathy, and insight that can reshape workplace culture. They can make invisible realities visible. They can challenge assumptions. They can lead change from a place of authenticity.

And it made me wonder: could lived experience actually be a secret superpower? A strength that equips leaders to navigate complexity, build trust, hold space for others, and lead with humanity in ways that can't be taught in any training room.

Why this matters to inCharge

This conversation is exactly why inCharge exists.

When we built inCharge, it wasn't abstract problem-solving - it was survival. I was carrying everything in my head: Georgia's routines, her PAs' schedules, medication times, health patterns, what worked yesterday and what might work tomorrow. One missed update could unravel everything.

inCharge was born from that reality - from knowing that parent carers need tools that actually reduce the load, not add to it. Technology that captures the knowledge we carry. Systems that give us back mental bandwidth so we can focus on what matters most: our families, our work, and maybe - just maybe - ourselves.

Because when workplaces understand what carers are managing, and when carers have the right tools to manage it, everyone wins.

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Join us

For families: Our Early Adopter Programme is open - join families already using inCharge across the UK, Ireland, and Australia.

For local authorities: Contact us to book a demo and see how inCharge supports self-directed care in practice.

Get in touch: hello@inchargehq.com