Carer Friendly Workplaces: Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Health and Care Workforce

Background: The health and care and non-profit workforces face rising stress, recruitment pressures and financial constraint. Forward Carers, a top 100 UK Social Enterprise that delivers support and services for unpaid Carers, piloted a 4-day working week to strengthen staff wellbeing, retention and productivity without increasing costs. Its ‘SMART Working Week’ demonstrates how inclusive workforce design can support business growth and sustainability while modelling Carer Friendly practice from within.

 

Aims and ObjectivesThe initiative aimed to:

1.Enhance staff wellbeing, work–life balance and inclusion for employees

2.Maintain or exceed all contractual performance and quality targets.

3.Offset the challenges of limited non-profit salary budgets through improved recruitment, retention and productivity.

4.Provide a replicable model for others seeking sustainable workforce innovation.

 

Methods: / Approach:Forward Carers framed this as their ‘SMART Working Week’ applying the 100:80:100 model - 100% pay for 80% of hours, maintaining 100% productivity. Introduced as a six-month pilot in partnership with Four Day Week Global, it became a permanent policy in September 2023. Full-time staff now work 30 hours across four days, with most of the organisation taking Friday as a shared non-working day. This ensures collaboration, predictable availability and uninterrupted project time, while senior managers monitor inboxes on a rota. Implementation was co-designed with staff through workshops, pulse surveys and feedback reviews.

 

Adjustments included:

• SMART Working Golden Rules: shorter meetings, protected quiet time, and a “no emails 6 pm–8 am” commitment.
• Improved use of technology
• Service re-design.
• Weekly wellbeing tracking and structured reflection.
• Additional Carer Friendly and flexible support retained including five days’ paid Carers Leave; Carers Champions, flexibility as standard

 

Results: Success measures focused on improved health and wellbeing, staff satisfaction and work–life balance alongside key business indicators. Fifty per cent of staff are current or former unpaid Carers, giving Forward Carers a direct understanding of the challenges faced by this workforce. Wellbeing scores and engagement rose markedly. Example of feedback - “Improved work life balance allows me to leave personal things at the door and be present and productive at work”.

 

Productivity was maintained or exceeded, all contractual performance targets were met, and the organisation achieved further growth and new contracts. Headcount has more than doubled to 28 FTE, and annual income has increased by over 50%. The largest international 4-day week pilot to date found employees were higher-performing, with 90% of organisations retaining the model.

 

Implications: Forward Carers’ SMART Working Week demonstrates that reducing hours can strengthen both wellbeing and organisational outcomes. Productivity, quality and growth need not depend on longer hours but on trust, design and inclusion. Tested mainly in an office-based setting with a small delivery team, the model nonetheless provides transferable learning for wider health and care contexts.

 

Recommendations:

• Begin with pilots and voluntary participation to build trust.
• Protect collaboration time and wellbeing boundaries.
• Co-design every stage with staff.
• Share results openly — data persuades.

Carer-friendly workforce reform offers a practical, evidence-informed route to a stronger, more sustainable and compassionate integrated care system.