Caring for carers at Jacobs

Created by VERCIDA for Jacobs

 

Lucia Southworth is able to balance long-term caring responsibilities with her work as a transport planner at Jacobs, along with playing a leadership role in an important company network.

 

 

I have been a registered carer for my mother since I was seven years old. It was fine – it was always the way things were and I had a lot of support. Through school, I was identified as a carer and received support through a local carers’ charity and was allocated a social worker and a family worker. Once a month, I went to a group where other young carers could meet up, play games and just be with each other.

Alongside my dad, I am still a carer for my mother – I now live 10 minutes away, so I can always pop around when I’m needed, and when I need to step out of work, I have that flexibility too. I was well supported at school, college and university, and fortunately, this has continued into my career so far with Jacobs. 

After I graduated with my MSc in Sustainability in Transport, I joined Jacobs as a graduate transport planner in September 2020. Last year, I completed the graduate programme, so now I am a transport planner working on a range of projects. The work is very varied, which is one of the main things I like about my job. 

My mother has used a wheelchair since I was three years old, so I have direct experience with accessibility issues. I am able to draw on this knowledge when we work on all our projects. It is useful to be able to point out things that other people might not necessarily see because they have never had to help a person in a wheelchair to use transport.

 

 

In terms of being a carer at Jacobs, my manager has always been really supportive and understanding. It is not treated as a big deal – instead, it is just accepted that sometimes I will have to leave work and help Mum, because there has been an accident or incident, or I have to take her to an appointment. 

Jacobs is incredibly flexible, so if I am required in my role as a carer, I can work around it on my terms. My manager is always there to lend an ear if I need to talk to someone. I can start at 7am and finish at 4pm, which allows me to spend more time with my mother. It has always been accepted at Jacobs that I have these boundaries.

The ACE Network at Jacobs, which represents carers, people with disabilities, and our allies, is another important part of my life. I am the carers’ lead for Europe and we do a lot of work to raise awareness and make sure carers have the support they need to be effective at work and at home.

It is not uncommon for people with caring responsibilities to not identify as carers, so at the ACE Network, we want every carer at Jacobs to feel comfortable with talking about that part of their life. Everyone should have the same great support that I receive.

Events are another important part of the network. We hold regular events and coffee mornings – we are doing a carers’ takeover and we raise awareness with the ACE Newsletter, Teams Channel and events that are tailored to different diary dates, such as Carers’ Week. Another big day for us will be held on 23 November, which is Carers’ Rights Day. 

 

 

Jacobs is accredited by Carers UK as Carer Confident Active and, as a member of Employers for Carers, we have access to a wealth of resources. There is a range of creative methods used to identify and recognise carers at work, such as flexible working and leave policies, and promoting an open, inclusive, flexible workplace culture. Practical support is an important part of this initiative, such as being able to make and receive personal calls at work, flexible hours and locations. There is also support available from the employee assistance programme, the JacobsConnect intranet site and our mental health and wellbeing champions. 

I have put a lot of work into my first few years at Jacobs and could have a long career here. Being part of the ACE network is important to me. I love my work as a transport planner and the flexibility at Jacobs is great. Jacobs offers a lot of support to employees throughout their careers, so I don’t worry that I’d have to leave because of my long-term caring responsibilities.

 

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