Social workers neglecting urgent health needs juggling professional work with caring duties

“Machismo” work cultures are leading social workers to neglect urgent health needs because they are too afraid to take time off, the Social Workers Union has warned.

Lisa Fitzpatrick, a SWU trade union official who works for BASW’s Advice and Representation service, says women and older social workers are particularly vulnerable to unfair employer absence policies because they are often also unpaid carers, looking after grandchildren or their elderly parents.

She deals with women at all stages of their social work careers from new mothers to those in their 50s and 60s who hit mid-life caring responsibilities - which can have a devastating impact on their health.

Lisa said: “We have members with serious health issues like arthritis, blood pressure, heart conditions… some of which can be exacerbated by stress at work.

“One member was having a hard time at work but made herself carry on going in. She felt unwell and went to get her blood pressure checked, and the results weren’t good, but she carried on. Eventually the doctor said she needed to stop working.

“It is sometimes only when there is a crisis that people will stop.”

Another worker helped by BASW’s A&R team achieved a better outcome when she was moved to a less stressful role in another team, and these adjustments need to be more routine, Lisa believes.

She warns that employers risk overlooking legal protections for carers under sex discrimination legislation contained in the Equality Act 2010.

She says one of the main problems is a “machismo culture” with more men than women at the top of organisations employing social workers.

“Women don’t want to speak up a lot of the time because they are worried about their jobs. It’s interesting, because although this is a female-dominated profession, it’s often men at the very top.

“The issue is the culture, where social workers are rewarded for how many hours they can work and how much they can carry.

“It’s ironic that those workers who are caring so much for other people in their roles are also often struggling with an additional personal load.”

Lisa added such machismo cultures were adopted by some female managers too, adding: “It is when there is challenge against that culture that staff need unions to support them.”

Younger, pregnant social workers are also at risk in such regimes, with long hours and stress potentially impacting on their pregnancies.

“It’s so important that employers are protecting pregnant staff at work,” Lisa says. “We often see grievances and complaints when mothers return, but right from the start of a pregnancy women need their employers to be on board with managing their workload and wellbeing at work.”

Employers have a duty of care towards pregnant workers, who are a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Maternity risk assessments should be routinely carried out and flexible working may be needed.

Lisa warns that employers should not simply favour those workers without health issues: “The problem is that health catches up with people, especially workers in their 60s when the toll can be felt.

“Some workers are taking ill health retirement, and taking their pensions early which means more of them are in poverty later on. 

“Retirement age is now later and so these are real issues for everyone, and not just women. I was recently supporting a man who was recovering from surgery for prostate cancer, and he was struggling at work, and needed some adjustments putting in place.”

Any social worker who feels employers are not meeting their responsibilities should consider taking out a grievance.

Find out more about the BASW Advice and Representation Service here. The section also features guidance sheets on specific areas including maternity and paternity advice

To find out more about the Social Workers Union see here