In recognising eCom as a Carer Positive Established Employer, Carers Scotland, which operates the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government, praised eCom’s ‘genuine commitment’ along with its ‘supportive working environment’.
Intended to recognise “those employers who offer the best support to carers, allowing them the flexibility they often need to deliver care at home”, the Caring for Carers’ scheme was listed among the Scottish Government’s ten manifesto commitments for carers in 2011.
Wendy Edie, eCom’s Managing Director, explained, “Carers, who represent around one in eight of the working population, tend to have valuable skills and experience and, as such, they’re a valuable source of recruitment. Losing these carers from the workforce not only damages individuals and their families but is also damaging to employers and the wider economy.
“As an employer, we recognise that this represents an important factor in workforce management and in the ability to retain a healthy and productive workforce. Without support, carers can suffer from stress, exhaustion and may not perform as productively as, potentially, they’re able to.
“At a time when many organisations are under pressure because of external economic factors, it makes good business sense to have a working environment where members of staff who’re carers feel supported to work productively and, crucially, can remain with their employer.”
According to Carers Scotland, research shows that supportive policies and working practices:
• Attract and retain staff
• Reduce stress and sickness absence
• Reduce recruitment and training costs
• Increase resilience and productivity
• Improve service delivery
• Produces cost savings
• Improve people management and staff morale
“Having moved from ‘Engaged’ to ‘Established’ Employer status within the Carer Positive scheme, we have our sites firmly set taking the next step to reach the highest level – that of ‘Exemplary’,” said Wendy.
About Carer Positive (http://www.carerpositive.org/)
Carer Positive is a Scottish Government funded initiative, developed with the support of a strong partnership between private, public and voluntary sector organisations in Scotland. Carers Scotland was selected to take this commitment forward and developed the initiative as the Carer Positive awards. An Advisory Group of key stakeholders was brought together to support the development of the initiative, and a wide range of employers across Scotland were consulted to ensure that it would be accessible to organisations of all sizes and across all sectors. The Carer Positive Advisory Group has included: NHS; Scottish Chambers of Commerce; Scottish Council for Development and Industry; Federation of Small Businesses; Institute of Directors; the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; Carers organisations; British Telecom; British Gas; HMRC, the Scottish Court Service, STUC; Unison; Healthy Working Lives and ‘see me’ Scotland.
About eCom (https://www.ecomscotland.com/)
eCom creates innovative learning solutions – aimed at increasing learning engagement and driving productivity - to help organisations achieve their goals. With offices in Dunfermline, Scotland, and Athens, Georgia, in the USA, but with customers from around the world, eCom focuses on the delivery, tracking and reporting of workforce learning and development through innovative technologies. Its products and services address a range of workforce management, development and training challenges, including eLearning, online assessment, blended learning, competency management and accreditation.
