--- title: "Caring for a parent while working full time" description: "How UK working carers manage a parent's needs alongside employment, including your rights at work and how to cover the working day." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "email": "hello@youcarereminders.co.uk", "areaServed": "GB" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#website", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "publisher": { "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How much Carer's Leave can I take?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Eligible employees can take up to a week of unpaid leave in a rolling twelve months. Check the current rules on GOV.UK, as details vary by nation." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I claim Carer's Allowance while working?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Possibly, but there is an earnings limit. Check the current threshold on GOV.UK before assuming either way." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What covers the working day?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A mix of scheduled prompts, a lunchtime neighbour or carer visit where affordable, and one reliable emergency contact who is local." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do I get told if a reminder is missed?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You can see which reminders were confirmed, so you can catch up in your own time rather than watching your phone all day." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Caring from a distance", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/caring-from-a-distance" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Caring while working", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/caring-while-working-full-time" } ] } ] --- [You Care Reminders Caregiver Support ](/) [Home](/)[How it works](/features)[Pricing](/pricing)[FAQ](/faq)[Contact](/contact) [Sign in](/login)[Get started](/signup) 1. [Home](/) 2. [Caring from a distance](/caring-from-a-distance) 3. Caring while working Work and care # Caring while holding down a job The hard part is not the weekend. It is the ten till four stretch, when you cannot answer the phone and nobody else is going to check. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[How it works](/features) ## Know what you are entitled to at work - Carer's Leave: unpaid leave for employees with caring responsibilities in England, Scotland and Wales. - The right to request flexible working from your first day of employment. - Time off for dependants in an emergency, which is separate and immediate. - Many employers have a carers' policy or network that goes beyond the legal minimum — ask HR rather than assuming. ## Cover the working day, not the whole day Most working carers have evenings and weekends broadly under control. Focus everything on the hours you cannot be reached: a mid-morning prompt, a lunchtime prompt, a mid-afternoon one. Scheduled reminders do this without you needing to step out of a meeting, and a confirmation tells you it landed. ## Tell someone at work Carers who tell their manager tend to fare considerably better than those who quietly absorb it, because unexplained lateness looks like unreliability while an explained pattern can be planned around. You do not need to share every detail. 'I care for my mother and may occasionally need to take a call' is enough. ## Protect one thing that is yours Work plus caring squeezes out everything else first, and that is precisely what leads to burnout. Keep one commitment a week that belongs to neither. ## The wider picture 5.0 million people in England and Wales provide unpaid care, according to the 2021 Census. Source: [Office for National Statistics, Census 2021](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/unpaidcareenglandandwales/census2021) a legal right every unpaid carer in England can ask their council for a carer's assessment, whatever their income or savings. Source: [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/support-and-benefits-for-carers/carer-assessments/) ## Being straight with you You Care Reminders is a non-medical wellness tool, not a monitoring service and not an alarm. Delivery is best effort rather than guaranteed, and it must not be used for medication reminders. If you are worried about someone's health, speak to their GP; in an emergency, call 999. ## Questions carers ask ### How much Carer's Leave can I take? ### Can I claim Carer's Allowance while working? ### What covers the working day? ### Do I get told if a reminder is missed? ## Read next - [Carer burnout](/carer-burnout-early-signs) - [Caring from a distance](/caring-from-a-distance) - [Respite care in the UK](/respite-care-uk) - [Pricing](/pricing) ## Set the first reminder tonight It takes about five minutes, costs nothing to start, and the person you care for has nothing to install. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[See plans](/pricing) You Care Reminders Thoughtful reminders that help families stay quietly connected to the people they love. Wellness support, not medical advice. Service - [How it works](/features) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [Journal](/blog) - [FAQ](/faq) - [Get started](/signup) Care scenarios - [Dementia check-ins](/dementia-check-in-service) - [Daily prompts for MCI](/mild-cognitive-impairment-daily-prompts) - [Drink & meal reminders](/dehydration-reminders-elderly) - [Compared to dementia clocks](/vs-dementia-clocks) - [Why smart alarms fail](/why-smart-alarms-fail-older-adults) More scenarios - [Loneliness call reminders](/loneliness-call-reminders) - [Safety check-ins](/safety-check-in-service) - [Hydration reminder app](/hydration-reminder-app) - [Family care app](/family-care-app) - [Live-in care alternative](/live-in-care-alternative) - [Care glossary](/care-glossary) Guides - [Caring for elderly parents](/caring-for-elderly-parents) - [Dementia care at home](/dementia-care-at-home) - [Mild cognitive impairment](/mild-cognitive-impairment) - [Dementia clocks](/dementia-clocks) - [Signs of dehydration](/signs-of-dehydration-in-older-adults) - [Carer burnout](/carer-burnout-early-signs) - [Respite care](/respite-care-uk) Trust - [Terms](/terms) - [Privacy](/privacy) - [Contact](/contact) © 2026 Better Search Limited (company no. 17209315), trading as You Care Reminders. 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