National Carers Week runs from 12 to 18 October, recognising and celebrating the three million Australians who provide unpaid care to a family member or friend.
At Australian Disability Network many of our members include carers in their Disability Employee Networks, valuing the lived experience they bring to the workplace.
For this year’s Carers Week, we spoke with Jennie Huxley, Relationship Manager at Australian Disability Network, about her experience balancing a career in disability inclusion with caring for her daughter Layla. Jennie’s insights shed light on what workplaces can do to truly support carers – not just in policy, but in practice.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your caring responsibilities?
My name is Jennie Huxley, and my role at Australian Disability Network is a Relationship Manager. I have been working in Disability Inclusion for 14 years, but when my vibrant and cheeky daughter Layla was born, everything changed. Alongside my professional career, I also began my role as a carer. My caring responsibilities have shaped who I am and how I work. Caring is not always visible, but for me it’s been a constant thread in my life, influencing the way I approach balance, resilience, and inclusion.
What has it been like navigating work and caring responsibilities?
As Layla’s primary carer it has been quite a difficult journey to navigate the logistics and mental load of caring for someone, while also maintaining and thriving in a career. Sadly, not all workplaces have adequate systems and structures in place to truly enable flexibility. While in some cases, I’ve had to firmly advocate for my situation on an individual level, the journey has taught me that when workplaces get support right for carers, everyone benefits. But getting there requires intention and understanding from employers.
Have there been times where your work environment could have supported your role as a carer better?
I recall a high-profile role I accepted but eventually had to leave, as team and department meetings were always booked on therapy days. The organisation was well-meaning, but there was an expectation that I would reschedule my daughter’s appointments so I could attend these internal meetings. Medical appointments are often fixed long-term commitments and it’s not always an option to move them to accommodate work schedules. When workplaces don’t recognise this, they can inadvertently create barriers that mean carers are forced to choose between career progression and caring responsibilities.
Tell us what makes a great work environment for carers?
A great work environment is one built on flexibility and trust. As a single parent and carer, being able to break up the workday with early starts and late finishes means both work and attending Layla’s NDIS appointments is sustainable.
The best workplaces I’ve experienced understand that supporting carers doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. It’s about applying the same approach to workplace adjustments that many organisations already champion for employees with disability. Remote and hybrid working, being able to swap days in the office, and scheduling flexibility around regular appointments, allow carers to contribute fully while also meeting our caring responsibilities. Layla is now nine and I have finally returned to a full-time national role similar to where my career was when I went on parental leave, and that’s only been possible because of a workplace that genuinely enables flexibility.
What specific adjustments have made a difference for you?
In my previous role, part of the employment conditions included an extra week of carers’ leave available for individuals who are the primary carers of people with disability. That kind of policy makes a real difference. So do allowances to attend appointments and access to emergency leave when things inevitably don’t go to plan.
But adjustments go beyond leave policies. Promoting access to an EAP, including carers in disability employee resource groups, and training for managers all help to provide carers in the workplace with support. When managers understand that therapy appointments are fixed commitments that need to be worked around, it creates space for both caring and career development to coexist.
What would you say to organisations who want to better support carers?
This National Carers Week, there’s a real opportunity for organisations to strengthen their support for the three million carers across Australia who are balancing professional contribution with caring responsibilities.
Some questions worth exploring:
- How can your workplace make flexibility more accessible and consistent across teams?
- What would it look like to proactively build carer supports into your workplace culture, rather than handling each situation individually?
- How can you ensure that career development pathways remain open for those who need different working patterns?
Carers bring valuable lived experience, deep empathy, exceptional time management skills, and a commitment to inclusion that comes from living it every day. When workplaces create environments where we can thrive, they unlock this potential while also building cultures that are more inclusive for everyone.
Caring doesn’t stop when the workday starts. And the best workplaces understand that genuine flexibility means meeting people where they are.
National Carers Week runs from 12 to 18 October. For more information about supporting carers in your workplace, visit Carers Australia
“The fact that I get to do what I love full time and advocate for People with Disability means so much to me. It can only happen in a workplace like AusDN where there is flexibility. It means I can care for my kid and also have financial independence as a single parent. Layla says “my job is to make people kind””