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Helpful resources and further support for those affected by the Coronavirus crisis

The Creative Access team have shifted to a blended model of home and office-based working. We appreciate that these are challenging times for everyone, and especially conscious that interns, trainees and a range of creative professionals may be experiencing high degrees of uncertainty. Below are a collection of helpful resources and further support for those affected by the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis. Please note this blog post is regularly updated as more material becomes available.

Official news, guidance and financial support

  • NHS Advice on Coronavirus 
  • UK Government advice on Coronavirus 
  • The Government’s advice on on self-employment and Universal CreditUniversal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income or out of work. The minimum income floor in Universal Credit will be temporarily relaxed for those directly affected by Covid-19 or self-isolating, ensuring self-employed claimants will be compensated for losses in income 
  • Official guidance on claiming sick pay and other benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions 
  • You can apply for an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work. 
  • HMRC has set up a dedicated Covid-19 helpline to help those in need. HMRC will also waive late payment penalties and interest where a business experiences administrative difficulty contacting HMRC or paying taxes due to Covid-19 
  • UCL School of Management has published “The pain of financial stress, and what you can do about it” with tips on how financial stress can be reduced and a glossary of common financial terms. 
  • If you’re on low income and can’t work due to self-isolation, you may be eligible for the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment 
  • If you’ve been told to work from home and your household costs have increased as a result, you may be eligible for HMRC’s working from home tax relief.

Creative industries support

  • Creative Access & McLaren Racing are offering bursaries of between £250 and £1000 to those from under-represented communities to help remove the financial barriers of entering or progressing in the creative economy. 
  • The Arts Council have funds and support available for artists and creatives as well as a Financial Difficulties guide and toolkit to help individuals recognise and manage some of the financial challenges they might be facing 
  • The Film & TV Charity provide a support line and financial relief to workers affected by the crisis as well as stop-gap grants of up to £750. 
  • Leading theatrical charities provide information about how and where you can access support if you work in the theatre industry. 
  • Museum news and support for freelancers working within museums, galleries, archives, libraries and heritage sites 
  • Dance Professionals Fund offer grants for professional dancers, including support for freelance dancers with portfolio careers 
  • The Arts Marketing Association offer free webinars and resources for those in the arts, culture and heritage sector 
  • Mayor of London’s resources for creative organisations and freelancers 
  • The City of London Corporation have compiled a list of resources, guidance and funding opportunities for those working in the tourism, arts, culture and creative sectors
  • PressPad offer mentoring sessions, masterclasses, networking opportunities and accommodation to entry-level journalists. 
  • The Book Trade Charity offer affordable housing in North London to those who are looking to enter the publishing industry. 

Housing advice 

  • If you live independently – renting an apartment, house or room or in a low-income household – you may be able to get support with your housing costs, through claiming Universal Credit or new style ESA. More info here 

Mental health 

  • Mind offer advice and support for those struggling with their mental health 
  • YoungMinds have some excellent advice and resources on looking after your mental health while self-isolating 
  • Top tips for working from home and a free peer-support network from Creative Lives for anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity who would welcome the opportunity to talk to others about wellbeing and other topics 

Other resources and useful information 

  • The Citizens Advice Bureau provides guidance for those struggling with living costs 
  • Debt charity, Step Change, outline what to do if you need emergency help with money and food 
  • The charity, National Debtline, provides useful advice and guidance on claiming benefits 
  • Turn2us is a national charity which provides financial support to help people get back on track during tough times 
  • General financial advice and guidance on paying bills from the team at Money Saving Expert 
  • Ideas for budgeting and managing your money from the Money Advice Service 
  • The Department for Education have launched The Skills Toolkit – an online platform giving access to free digital and numeracy courses to help people build up their skills and boost employability
  • RIFT have set up a Guide to Tax Debt and Mental Health 

If you have further resources we can add to this list, tweet at us @_CreativeAccess. 

Like lots of things, networking has largely moved online. It might seem like a struggle connecting to people with the move to working remotely and few events to meet professionals in. But have no fear, we have a list of top ten tips on how to maximise your virtual networking skills and the chances of hearing back from industry experts…

1. Be considerate of who you contact

These are strange times for everybody right now. Unfortunately, the creative industries are currently facing a lot of difficulty and many people aren’t working. Be mindful of this when reaching out. It’s a good idea to check how people are doing on platforms such as LinkedIn or their social media before you approach them.

2. Spruce up your LinkedIn

While we’re on LinkedIn, now is the time to finally make yours the best it can be. It’s a fantastic platform to make a strong first impression and connect with other creatives in your industry. Whether it’s taking a proper headshot or completing a skill quiz to prove your talents, there’s lots of ways to boost your profile.

Don’t be shy sending an invitation to peers and industry professionals you admire, connecting is what LinkedIn is for. You can even include a message with your invitation to explain why you’re reaching out.

3. Tweet to your advantage

Twitter is also a great way of making connections as lots of creative professionals are on there. You can build your network by following people relevant to your interests and career. Twitter lists are also a handy way of keeping track of everyone you want to engage with. Having a professional and easy username to remember also ensures people can find you too.

4. Join and create groups

On social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, creating groups of likeminded peers to engage with can be useful and inspiring. Here, you can give each other tips and advice, brainstorm ideas together and even create new projects. Some of our CA interns and alumni have recently come together to create Cultrd Collective and other new initiatives include #VirtualCollaborators.

5. Attend virtual masterclasses

Online masterclasses are a fantastic way to gain invaluable knowledge from the comfort of your home. These sessions often have a chat feature and a Q&A, where you can connect with fellow attendees and engage with experts. Creative Access are holding a series of Thursday Thoughts; inspirational talks with leading figures from the creative industries. We are also hosting weekly Wednesday Workshops which are interactive employability sessions focused on staying job-ready throughout this current situation.

6. Follow up after online events

If you enjoyed a virtual session, it’s a good idea to send a follow up email or feedback letting them know. You can even shout out an organisation in your social media to share your thoughts. This way you can leave a lasting impression for any future opportunities and demonstrate engagement in an industry you’re passionate about.

7. Get involved in competitions and schemes

Lots of projects that showcase and discover talent have moved online. Getting involved in things like writing, acting or art competitions and callouts are a brilliant way of getting your work out there. Judges also tend to be experienced professionals in their field, submitting a piece can help introduce your work to them as well as giving you the opportunity to ask for advice and feedback.

8. Keep messages short and sweet

Keep messages concise and genuine when reaching out. Long bodies of texts in emails can immediately turn someone off from reading what you have to say. When contacting someone whose work you admire, mention what you like. Demonstrate your interest in their work before asking for a (virtual) coffee or chat.

9. Contact people early

When sending an email, it’s best to send one early so it doesn’t get buried underneath the other messages that come through throughout the day. With most people working at home, inboxes are especially busy right now. Sending an email before the working day starts could ensure your message sits at the top of the pile when people clock on, increasing your chances of receiving an answer.

10. Start an online portfolio

Now is a great time to set up an online blog or portfolio showcasing your talents. When reaching out to people, you can direct them to your work, instantly giving them an impression of your skills. Take the time to make your website look professional and well put-together.

Useful websites include WordPress, where you can set up a blog for free; Wix, which lets you build free websites and has lots of great templates to choose from; and YouTube for sharing films and video content.

Bonus tip: Be pro-active

None of the above will be possible unless you take initiative in finding opportunities to connect. Networking can certainly feel daunting at times, especially when contacting someone we’ve never even met. However, we only regret the chances we don’t take. You might be surprised at how far sending an email or message can take you. The only way to find out is to try. Good luck and keep us posted.

Creative Access development director, Elonka Soros, reflects on our work over the past year and what key diversity and inclusion concepts employers need to know for going into 2023…

As I start the year prepping new projects for 2023, I’ve been reflecting on a busy 2022 Creative Access year of activity.

It’s been a pleasure to meet so many engaged creative industry colleagues over all the training sessions I led last year. In those sessions, I have noticed a shift in levels of understanding about matters of race, sex (and gender identities) social class and disability. That’s not so surprising because these discussions have been at the fore of political and world events, but what is interesting is that perhaps because of the often-polarising nature of the narratives, in many cases, I’ve also noted an increasing sense of urgency to take actions to confront and eliminate exclusions often aligned with these identity characteristics.

Regardless of sector, company size or the level of seniority of those participating in our Creative Access workshops, the key themes emerging out of these discussions have been very similar.

I’ve collated the top five matters that were exercising the minds of creative colleagues in 2022 – I wonder, how do these match your experience and what are you prioritising for 2023?

Black and white image of one of our trainers, Elonka, delivering a session to a room of employees at a workplace.

1. The concept of belonging in addition to those of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

It’s been refreshing to be part of DE&I conversations that acknowledge that just because someone is included in the team it does not mean that they feel that they belong. Creating equitable and inclusive workplaces with belonging cultures requires action that goes beyond the diversity numbers and the inclusion policies. It takes each one of us to understand the individual roles that we play to create company cultures that are welcoming, respectful, where people feel valued and can thrive. When people thrive, businesses thrive too.

We’ve been working with a global publishing company on their Equity and Belonging programme for line managers. They’ve built strong ERGs (employee resource groups). These safe spaces, celebrating difference have provided a forum for individuals to engage in meaningful dialogue with colleagues. When people feel they belong they are more likely to speak up, be creative and to innovate.

2. Understanding of intersectionality

This year Creative Access research has fuelled some insightful discussion with and within our wider creative industries community. Data from our 2022 Thrive Report showed that disabled people who also identify as Black, Asian or from other ethnically diverse backgrounds, are feeling less confident about their careers and progression in the creative sector than any other group. The more ways that a person is minoritised in their workplace – the greater the levels of concern. These more nuanced conversations about disability, race, accent, and social class have brought greater awareness and understanding of the ‘emotional tax’ of people who are minoritised in multiple ways at work. Hence the focus as above, on creating belonging cultures where people don’t have to mask their identity, or “pass” to survive. 

3. Increased focus on career access for disabled people across all levels and racially minoritised people at mid – senior level

While Creative Access’s industry leading positive action apprenticeships and internships programmes have delivered increased racial, socio-economic, and disabled representation at entry level across the sector, our research and community feedback show it’s still far from a level playing field and there is a lot of work to be done. In all areas of the creative sector, disabled people are seriously underrepresented. Steps to address systemic structural barriers are needed throughout the career cycle and you can read more about these and see the data from our Creative Access Disability Survey 2022 here.

4. Mental health, wellbeing and allyship in a post pandemic world

While the Covid19 pandemic is not over yet the forecast is not so bleak as it was back in 2020 when the UK went into lockdown. The toll on our individual and collective national mental health as we adjusted to a new reality is well documented, as is how many workplaces responded by putting in place measures to support employee wellbeing. Creative Access’ team of clinical psychologists, beamed into our homes via zoom and provided our team with tools to support ourselves, our families, and wider communities during the crisis, and many of our employer partners have been accessing these resources too.

Before the pandemic in many people spoke to me about their fears of sharing their mental health status at work, but the psychologists’ sessions have provided a space for people to share and learn that mental health is not static and that we are all always somewhere on a scale. More open conversation about feelings and the impact of day to day working life on our wellbeing has also resulted in a motivation for people to be alert to behaviours and language that could negatively impact their mental health and those of their colleagues. As we get back into more normal routines, the next steps will be to maintain the good practices we have acquired and build them into our new ways of working. 

5. The importance of data

The 2022 Creative Access Thrive research threw up an interesting aspect that may account for the slower progress towards DE&I aspirations than many creative companies would have hoped – they have no data upon which to build the actions required for change. Increasingly there is a realisation that measuring the diversity numbers is not enough, we also need data on our inclusion impact, and even fewer companies are doing that.

Earlier in this reflection I shared some of the discussion on the concept of belonging and the importance of understanding how now only how colleagues are accessing roles in our teams but also how they are experiencing working with us. It’s not always easy for people to speak up about matters that are concerning them or even articulate some of the impacts of workplace culture on mental health and wellbeing or productivity and ability to innovate. Even giving positive feedback about the things that we love about the places we work and the people we work with can get overlooked as we move form project to project, across time zones and in hybrid spaces. But we do need the information if we are to make the best use of our time and resources.

I think I may have said this before but it’s true, so I’ll say it again… when people thrive, businesses thrive too (and there is a big body of research to back that up).

If you’re interested in discussing what’s at the top of your DE&I agenda for 2023 or finding out more about how we support and partner with organisations, please contact us here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

The second phase of our ‘The Verge’ research in December 2021 looked at changes in financial and job stability for people working in the creative industries as a result of the pandemic. Key findings included:

  • Financial stability has declined – in May 2020 53% said they had enough money to live on versus 42% in 2021
  • 45% said their mental health had been negatively impacted – rising to 64% amongst those with a disability
  • 42% said their ability to save money had been negatively impacted
  • 25% said it had negatively impacted their job security
  • Over 10% have had to re-locate due to Covid-19 to find work – 48% re-located to London/the South-East showing how important it is for employers to support housing costs in the capital

But there was some positive news:

  • A third (33% said their mental health had been positively impacted through greater flexibility and time at home
  • A third (36%) said the pandemic had a positive impact in giving them more time for hobbies and interests outside work
  • 30% said they felt their creativity had been positively impacted

Read in full here.

This Wednesday Creative Access partnered up with the one and only National Theatre to deliver a masterclass discussing how to navigate a career in theatre and the future of theatre both on and off stage. We were joined by Juliet Gilkes Romero, writer in residence at the National Theatre, Sara Bakhaty, Deputy Director of Marketing and Sales at the National Theatre and Ola Animashawun, who is a National Theatre associate, as well as connections dramaturg and co-founder and creative director of playwriting consultancy, Euphoric Ink. We were spoilt by their wealth of knowledge! The discussion, chaired by Lisa Jonas, assistant director of Business Planning and governance, provided an insight into a career within theatre and how the industry is growing from strength to strength after a long, hard two years of stagnation. 

“Have faith in yourself!”

Ola Animashawun 
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We began by exploring the various routes our panel took into the sector, and with all members, this journey was not a linear one. Juliet came from a journalism background and maintained her love of writing by also joining writers’ groups, completing a masters and surrounding herself with like-minded people who were just as passionate about writing as she was. “There’s no straight line to this,” she says as she encouraged our audience to build resilience, “and there’s nowhere to hide on stage.” The importance of remaining true to yourself is a theme that continued through this masterclass, as we learnt just how your integrity can act as a magnet, or a beacon, shining to those who are willing to take a chance on your work. As a dramaturg, Ola’s role is vital in the process of bringing a script from paper to stage play. They are experts in the study of plays, musicals or operas and it is their job to provide the cast and crew with vital knowledge, research and interpretation for their works. He also sits on a board that discusses the wider programming at the theatre and is vocal about creating a strategy to address diversity within the sector. Having started out as an actor, Ola eventually found the right role for him, becoming an advisor, instead of being on stage. Sara also struggled to find the right fit, moving from a career in retail, initially into advertising agencies and latterly into theatre marketing. “It became apparent I had no passion for the things I was selling”, she told our audience, “then this role came up and it felt like a real natural transition.”  It is truly never too late to begin that change, and with the rise of the squiggly career, the working journey is no longer a straight line; instead, it’s quite common to change role, company and even career to find something that fits just right.  

“Find things that will cradle your creativity”

Juliet Gilkes Romero 
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Juliet shared an inspiring story about a play she wrote “At the Gates of Gaza”, which took seven years to go into production. She went on to talk about the play’s first bad review. “I wanted to shave my head and hide under the covers” she continued but stressed the importance of remembering the people who did support her and the impact her play had. She then shared a poignant quote from author Hilary Mantel; “The most helpful quality a writer can cultivate is self-confidence – arrogance if you can manage it,” finishing on the note that you may have to believe in yourself way before the world does. Ola agreed, encouraging us to “keep the faith”, especially with freelancing and the issues that can sometimes arise. The instability means it’s necessary to have a fallback option, but this shouldn’t deter you from theatre if it’s truly your passion. Juliet adds “get serious about your finances” as there may be times when work is a little quieter, and you will still have bills to pay. Both Ola and Juliet wouldn’t change their careers though, as their love of culture, theatre and playwriting allows a richness, and pride that almost jumps off them as they speak. 

“Following your passion makes it easy to come to work every day” 

Sara Bakhaty
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When asked about marketing in theatre, Sara had lots of gems to share. “The fundamentals are the same” she begins, “as you still identify your market and create a campaign, but it begins to get a little more complex.” The hardest thing, she admits, is capturing the essence of a 90-minute play into a short Instagram advert or a poster you might see on the tube. A marketing campaign not only has to incite interest but pique it enough so that seats are filled at the play. When the average attention span is 8.5 seconds (a goldfish’s is 9!) this can take a little work. Sara also says it’s important to think about the existing experiences, and how they can be used and translated for new work. Marketing in theatre is a fantastic opportunity for those who don’t want to be on stage or write, but are still passionate about the sector, and creative enough to find new and innovative ways to share and spread their excitement. Its career trajectory is wide, with many entry positions. Although it’s competitive, Sara tells us not to give up! If you can’t find a direct marketing role within the theatre, find a marketing role in another adjacent sector. “Sometimes it’s the sidesteps which are the most interesting”. She finishes by telling us “It’s never too late” as she made her career change at 30 and is now super excited to come to work as she is surrounded by culture, music and art that she finds interesting.  

“Remember your own power, be responsible for the world you live in” 

Juliet Gilkes Romero

We finished our evening by touching on the future of theatre, the still very present issues surrounding diversity and the moves that need to be made to create an industry that reflects our society. Sara openly admitted that theatre needs to do better, especially surrounding progression. She’s passionate about “continuing to nurture the talent” as there are a few entry-level roles, but this means nothing if retention is poor. Ola agrees, advising us to look at the organisations and hold them accountable. If you walk into a room where no one looks like you, be prepared to ask why, and question any answers you aren’t content with. If we aren’t prepared to ask uncomfortable questions, diversity may take a lot longer than necessary. “It’s never over till it’s over” Juliet adds, “we are always on the verge of having improvements taken away.” Theatre has made strides, but the walk is long, and we must be prepared to fight to make space in places where we too can belong.  

We’d like to give a special thanks to Lisa Jonas and the National Theatre for hosting our first in-person masterclass in two years since the pandemic. We’d also like to extend a special thank you to our amazing panel and all of you who attended. We hope you enjoyed it, and we’ll soon be back with some more in-person masterclasses – hope to see you there!   

We conducted research into the expectations and ambitions of over 800 young people looking to work in the creative industries post-pandemic – the first generation to do so. The research revealed:

  • When considering where they would like to work, this generation claim to be more influenced by an organisation’s reputation and how well they look after employee wellbeing rather than the salary they are offering (12%)
  • When looking at specific roles, the job description sounding inspiring and challenging is more important than salary
  • 82% of respondents are expecting to be promoted within the first year of their first role
  • Just a quarter are quite or very optimistic about finding a role post-education, with well over half (57%) who are not optimistic

You can read the full press release here.

By April Brown – programmes manager, Creative Access

For Carers Week 2022 we want to remind our community about the findings of our Young Carers research and encourage employers to support carers in the workforce. April Brown who is both a carer and programmes manager here at Creative Access shares the benefits carers can bring to the creative workforce and the steps employers can take to make it more inclusive for them.

Have you ever cared for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without your support? There are over one million young people in the UK who are trying to navigate their personal, academic and/or professional lives while facing the daily pressures of caring for someone who cannot look after themselves. Many of these young people are now doing so with increased pressure due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since 2012, Creative Access has been working to enable people from communities that are under-represented in the creative industries, to access careers, progress and reach leadership. We’re aware of the numerous barriers people face when working in the sector and we wanted to raise awareness today of the young carers and young adult carers in our community who deserve to be supported.

Support for young carers and young adult carers is needed more urgently than ever before due to the impact of coronavirus. A recent Carers Trust survey found that:
  • 58% of young carers are caring for longer as a result of the pandemic and lockdown and are spending on average an additional ten hours a week or more on their caring role
  • 78% of young adult carers aged 18 to 25 were experiencing an increased concern for their futures since Coronavirus

Our Young Carers survey and focus group was conducted to coincide with Young Carers Action Day on 14th March to help understand the impacts of caring responsibilities on emerging creative professionals who identify as carers and how we can better support their needs in the workplace.

This year, many creatives have started to transition to hybrid or in-person working practices after working in isolation for the last two years. Since 2020 we have had to adapt to social distancing, support bubbles and numerous lockdowns juggling domestic life with remote work and/or learning simultaneously. This exceptional period initially allowed us to slow down, reflect and shift our approaches to work and life, with some beneficial side effects. In December, we released our updated research highlighting the impact of covid-19 on under-represented communities with 26% of participants citing flexible working as a positive outcome of the pandemic, something that the majority of our young carers also identified as a huge help. It is important to remember that for many employees and freelancers this flexibility is still an integral factor towards being able to cope with work and caring responsibilities and that many of the people being cared for are still vulnerable and shielding. The pandemic isn’t over yet. It’s also important for employers to be aware of their duties under the Equality Act 2010 which states that a carer cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their association with a disabled person.  

In the same vein, industry events have been adapted over the last two years to accommodate virtual audiences which allowed for greater opportunities to engage with local, national, and global communities. It would be a great disservice to those who aren’t physically able to participate if this wasn’t continued; especially as we have all become so familiar with virtual platforms like Zoom. 80% of the carers we surveyed felt like they had missed out on opportunities in their career due to caring responsibilities and 60% said they were unable to network or attend industry events.

Our findings also highlighted the unique skills and attributes that young carers can bring to the workplace with participants stating their empathy, time management, awareness of accessibility, patience, and crisis management abilities, as well as practical skills such as first aid training and Covid awareness. 

Unlike parents, many carers are invisible in the workforce, reluctant to discuss their personal situation due to stigma and unaware of the support available to them. 30% of our respondents felt like they weren’t supported in the workplace and 10% couldn’t work due to their caring responsibilities. Caring is often less predictable than child-care. Flexible working policies need to include the flexibility to change arrangements as caring responsibilities change. They also need to recognise the possibility of emergencies arising.

Carers UK recommends the following tips to support carers in your workforce:
  • Implement flexible working policies compliant with the current law, and allow as much flexibility for change as is consistent with business needs
  • Review all your employment policies to ensure they are ‘carer friendly’
  • Quote carers specifically in policies and other documentation or create a policy specifically for carers
  • Nominate a key contact in the workplace
  • Set up an internal carers group or forum – to allow carers to meet together occasionally

Michael Irwin – Co-Chair of Tate’s Parents & Carers Network upholds the value of an internal carers group:

“Tate has several staff networks for supporting staff and helping create connections across the institution which is vast. These consist of the BAME, LGBTQIA+, disAbility, and Parent & Carers staff networks.

I joined the network, followed by becoming a co-chair, because I felt isolated in my team, not knowing who to ask for advice around Tate’s policies to support people in my situation. For example, I felt embarrassed when I was late for work commitments, hiding the real reason I was late which was because I was caring for my partner. Having a supportive, flexible and empathetic workplace is essential to maintaining the balance. It was only after joining the Parent and Carers network when I began to acknowledge and feel proud at defining myself as a carer, and through that confidence, I could share my experiences and gain the understanding and support from my team.

Being a Co-chair of the network, involves me meeting with my fellow co-chairs to plan our bi-monthly Parent and Carer’s network meetings which are open to everyone who works at Tate. We use those meetings to share worries, concerns and offer support and direction when navigating different working policies which can support parents and carers. We can also take these concerns to our Director sponsor who can help us action changes to Tate’s permanent employee policies. We also run guest speaker events and a series of events during carers week, with the aim of acknowledging those with caring responsibilities contribution to Tate whilst giving so much to others outside of work.

Most of us will be carers at some point in our lives, whether it’s for our parents, loved ones or becoming parents ourselves. So, it is important we keep in mind what others may be going through and approach our colleagues with kindness and empathy. By wider workplaces putting policies and general understanding in place to support Parents and Carers, it only benefits employees’ mental health and well-being and allows those with caring responsibilities to show the same dedication they show to others to their work without having to compromise on one or the other.”

This Carers Week take the time to ask carers, what will help them to successfully combine work and caring?

They can tell you what will really make a difference to their ability to do a good job for you and keep up with their caring responsibilities at the same time. There are often small and inexpensive things employers can do to help – such as:

  • Allowing carers to leave mobile telephones on in meetings in case of emergencies
  • Flexing start and finish times to help people deal with caring commitments before and after work
  • Allowing carers time and access to a telephone to check on the person they care for from time to time during work hours

Surveys, focus groups and employee carer groups are all useful ways to find out what the carers you employ would value.

For more employer advice and ways to get involved in Carers Week 2022 visit:

Employers For Carers: https://www.employersforcarers.org/

Meet “Generation Post-Pandemic”: the first generation to enter the workplace post-pandemic is putting mental health and employer reputation before salary

Creative Access, a leading social enterprise specialising in diversity and inclusion, surveyed 800 of this year’s school-leavers, students and graduates to find out what the first generation to enter the workforce post-pandemic – so called “Generation Post-Pandemic” or “Gen P-P” – expect from their future careers in the creative industries.

The research reveals that this incoming generation are most influenced by an organisation’s values, commitment to employee wellbeing and inclusive culture, when looking for their first role, placing more importance on these factors than on salary.

The top five factors influencing where “Gen P-P” wants to work are:

  1. Employer’s reputation as a good place to work
  2. Training and support on offer
  3. Employer’s commitment to employee wellbeing
  4. Organisation’s values
  5. Offering a good salary

For 71% of Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse young people surveyed, though, diversity of the team ranked as the most important influence.

When looking for their first role, the research shows this generation place more importance on the role being challenging, interesting or inspiring (23%) than on the attached salary (19%). Meanwhile, an accessible, inclusive, achievable job description was most important to 16%.

The pandemic, the impact of Black Lives Matter and a rising awareness surrounding mental health have impacted what this generation of workers expect from their new employer in the first 6 months:

  1. 36% said they expect skills training
  2. 24% expect a mentor
  3. 17% expect the ability to work flexibly and from home
  4. 16% expect training around diversity and wellbeing

The future’s bright

Despite the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis, the survey found that overall this generation is optimistic about their chances of finding a role – with over half (54%) expecting to find a job within a year of leaving education. Overall, “Gen P-P” is also optimistic about progressing quickly in their new careers with 82% expecting a promotion from their first-entry level within the first year to two years. However, this expectation for fast promotion drops to just over half (57%) for people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Leading the way

Looking further ahead in their careers, 4 in 10 (39%) of those surveyed expect to be in a senior position after 10 years in the creative industries. However, surprisingly only 16% expect to be in an influential leadership position, 13% to be self-employed or working freelance, and only 12% expect to be running their own business. This hints at wider trends surrounding the death of the ‘dream job’ and an increasing prioritisation of mental health. “Gen P-P” seem to aspire to careers and employment which will put their mental health first and offer stability.

Josie Dobrin, CEO of Creative Access, says:  

“Despite everything that is happening in the world at the moment, it’s positive to see how optimistic the next generation is about their future careers in the creative industries. It is heartening to see the agency they have in expecting and not being afraid to ask for skills training, mentoring and career progression support from their employers. However, our findings clearly show that this optimism is not universal and is not shared at the same level by those from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds. To attract and retain diverse new talent coming into the industry, it’s critical that employers show tangible progress in diversity, equity and inclusion and commit to providing mental health and skills training.”

Creative Access and the University of Manchester’s CoDE report has been discussed in Arts Professional. The article focuses on the findings that fewer ethnically diverse creatives are employed since the pandemic and are experiencing heightened levels of financial instability.

Read here.

New Creative Access research for Young Carers’ Action Day highlights specific challenges facing this group in the creative industries

Creative Access, the leading social enterprise in progressive career development support, has found that 80% of young carers working in the creative industries have missed out on career opportunities and a third (30%) have also decided not to apply for a role due to their caring responsibilities. Meanwhile, a further 80% of young carers also claimed their health and wellbeing had been impacted by caring responsibilities.

A young carer is defined as someone under the age of 25 who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.* To coincide with #YoungCarersActionDay on 16th March, Creative Access conducted research and a focus group with both current and young carers to gage how this often over-looked and under-represented group can be better supported in the creative industries.

Key findings from the survey included:

  • 70% of participants were under the age of 20 when they first started caring for someone
  • 80% felt like caring had an impact on their health and wellbeing
  • 80% felt like they missed out on opportunities
  • 65% decided to not apply for a new role because of their caring responsibilities 
  • 60% felt like they were unable to network or attend industry events 
  • 30% felt like they weren’t supported in the workplace

The statistic that 70% of the participants had started caring for someone under the age of 20 is particularly shocking. Members of the focus group explained how caring at such a young – and pivotal – age actually led to a lack of opportunities such as missing out on networking and industry events due to caring responsibilities and financial constraints.

“I remember things like gap years or trips with universities or school. Those are the types of opportunities I missed out on. You do have a sense of, what if I had been able to do that. Maybe if I’d had that opportunity early, I could have progressed further in my career.”

In response to the call to action surrounding young carer’s needs within the workplace, Creative Access has created a resource directed at young carers themselves on how to navigate their caring responsibilities in the workplace, but also so employers can better understand their needs.

One member of the focus group encapsulated how employers can make this change:

“Employers need to understand that we often don’t know what the next day will be like. Things like an employer saying you can start an hour later or finish earlier and then make up the time make a real difference.”


The pandemic has disproportionately affected under-represented groups in the creative industries, and young carers in particular have been profoundly impacted by the past 2 years. A Carers Trust survey found that 78% of young adult carers aged 18 to 25 were experiencing increased concern for their futures since Coronavirus. Despite this negative impact, one positive aspect of the pandemic referenced by the participants was the benefits of working from home. As one participant emphasised:

“It’s annoying that it took a pandemic to change [attitudes to] flexible working when young carers have been around long before. It’s annoying that it took that for people to realise!”.

However, young carers expressed worries about returning to the office post-pandemic, as well as non-inclusive work cultures within the creative industries, particularly within TV:

“In the industries I work in, they expect you to come in at 7 am and finish when you finish, e.g. 9 or 10. I quickly realised it wouldn’t work, and I didn’t apply again. The nature of shift work is long and gruelling hours.”

In spite of this, Creative Access’ findings did highlight the unique skills and attributes that young carers can bring to the workplace. The participants frequently cited their empathy, time management, patience and crisis management abilities, as well as practical skills such as first aid training and Covid awareness.  Of the positive attributes that young carers bring to the workplace, one participant said:

“Being more resilient; thicker skin. If a crisis comes up at work, I don’t lose my cool – I can persevere through”.

Josie Dobrin, CEO of Creative Access says: “At Creative Access, we are constantly striving to ensure better representation and support for people from communities under-represented in the sector. As today’s research shows, young carers are a group who face specific challenges and are not currently getting the recognition and support they need at work. We are hopeful that following our findings, employers will recognise the urgent need to create inclusive workplaces that support carers and the valuable perspective this group bring to the creative industries.”

The pandemic has worsened pre-existing inequalities in the creative and cultural industries by causing job insecurity and financial instability among ethnically diverse people employed in the sector, according to a new report. This is particularly concerning given the underrepresentation of these groups within the industries.

Experts from The University of Manchester’s Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity partnered with career support organisation Creative Access to collect data on the experiences of ethnically diverse workers – and those aspiring to work – in the industries.

The researchers found that only 29% of respondents were in employment a year after the first lockdowns – a huge drop of 22 percentage points – and 48% of respondents said they are either becoming financially unstable or need immediate assistance to pay their bills.

The overwhelming majority of ethnically diverse creative workers report feeling anxious or worried, with insecurity being a major contributing factor – 70% of all respondents were worried about their job security, and a staggering 89% of workers with over 10 years of experience said the pandemic had made their job less secure.

One respondent told the researchers that they were unable to claim money from the SEISS [Self-Employment Income Support Scheme] despite having no income – they were existing on Universal Credit, which was barely enough to cover their outgoings. They said their mental health had plummeted from not being able to secure any kind of work.

58% of respondents said that their primary source of income had changed, and alarmingly, 30% of these said they had left the creative and cultural industries for another sector – this suggests a risk that as the industry recovers from the aftermath of the pandemic, it may be even less diverse than before.

37% of respondents said their careers had been affected by discrimination because of their ethnic or racial identity, but many reported that 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests had only seen limited subsequent improvements despite many employers declaring their intent to reduce discrimination and increase diversity. Only 14% agreed that more paid opportunities were available as a result of the protests, and these were also likely to be junior positions.

The report’s authors are calling for a host of changes at creative and cultural organisations to tackle these issues including the adoption of employment targets, guidelines for recruitment practices and financial incentives for organisations which develop targeted schemes for graduates from ethnically diverse backgrounds who have lost out as a result of the pandemic.

“Our findings are extremely worrying because they demonstrate that ethnically diverse creatives and cultural workers are having to deal with the severe impact of Covid on employment in the creative and cultural industries, on top of pre-existing racism, and indicates a potentially lost generation of ethnically diverse talent who are struggling to enter the sector,” said Roaa Ali from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity. “We believe that the pandemic has significantly compounded issues of ethnic and racial inequality in the sector, and we are calling for urgent and specific actions championed by both industry and policy decision makers to address this – this, too, is integral to the levelling up agenda.”

“The creative and cultural industries were already the site of fundamental race and ethnic inequalities, and our findings suggest that the pandemic has deepened them,” said Professor Bridget Byrne from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity. “This sector is critical not only for its contribution to the economy, but also because it shapes the cultural life of the country – this is why structural racism faced within the sector is so concerning.”

“We need action within individual organisations, but also more broadly at a policy level to both collect the data needed to track ethnic inequalities and also to implement proactive actions to ensure that ethnically diverse people have fair access to training, jobs and promotion within the sector.”

“Clearly, the Covid pandemic hit everyone who works in creative and cultural industries – but it also exasperated existing inequalities in this sector,” said Dr Anamik Saha from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity and Goldsmiths, University of London. “While media and cultural organisations were quick to pronounce their support for the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred during the pandemic, our research found this translated into relatively few new opportunities for Black people in particular.”

“Our hope is that in shining a light on their circumstances, media and cultural organisations can better support creative workers from minoritised communities, ensuring fair and equal treatment during these difficult times.”

“On the second anniversary of the pandemic, we are seeing yet further proof of the disproportionate impact of covid on people from groups under-represented in the creative industries in terms of ethnicity. With the huge loss of funding, income and job opportunities in the sector, it’s critical that organisations like ours work with employer partners to ensure that people from these communities do not lose out on career access or progression as a result,” says Josie Dobrin, founder and CEO, Creative Access.

‘The impact of Covid-19 and BLM on Black, Asian and ethnically diverse creatives and cultural workers’ R Ali, S Guirand, B Byrne, A Saha and H Taylor, Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity, March 2022.

Watch the recording of ‘On and off screen diversity: Why does it matter?‘ an event held on Thursday, 11 November 2021. Speakers: Roaa Ali (CoDE), Sadia Habib and Shaf Choudry (The Riz Test) and Josie Dobrin (Creative Access).

Creative Access alum, Luke James, shares his thoughts on returning to the office after nearly two years of working from home during the covid-19 pandemic.

I go back to the office full-time this week and honestly everything about it, aside from the return of the office birthday cake, is making me a bit nervous. The pressure is on, with the government and big business screaming for the country to get back into the office. Coincidentally, those that scream the loudest for this have a huge economic interest in making sure that their lucrative office buildings in the centre of the big cities up and down the country are being used. However, as most of us aren’t property tycoons or postcode millionaires, there are a lot of conflicting feelings around returning to the office.

“I’ve enjoyed a simple life at home not having to worry about things like awkward micro-aggressions”

I’ve got good reason to be hesitant to return to the office, I’ve enjoyed a simple life at home not having to worry about things like awkward micro-aggressions – “no I haven’t brought ‘jerk chicken’ in for lunch again, it’s just last night’s dinner”. I, like many others, am really not looking forward to my creeping social anxiety returning right in the middle of an important pitch, and if I could avoid using public toilets for the rest of my life I would. These issues are ultimately trivial compared to the impact that returning to the office will have on my wallet.

“I do fear that return to the office means, yet again, excluding those from lower-incomes the opportunity to work in our industry”

Full-time office work can add up very quickly. Commuting, the occasional lunch and, unless pyjamas with holes in the crotch become on trend, new clothes will all cost me money. Whilst I’m experienced and fortunate enough to be able to mitigate these costs, it’s my junior colleagues that will be hit the hardest by this. Aside from the obvious (that they are paid less) often our junior colleagues may feel the pressure to spend money to keep up with senior members of staff – I know I certainly did. Couple this with the skyrocketing cost of living, the coming increase in national insurance and energy prices and I do fear that return to the office means, yet again, excluding those from lower-incomes the opportunity to work in our industry. We risk losing those junior members of staff who do not have the capital to survive returning to the office. It goes without saying that those who struggle with mobility or social issues also stand to lose the most. In some ways a return to work can be seen as a step-back for diversity of thought.

“I’ve missed those shared experiences of hearing someone’s good news together, I’ve missed going to the pub to discuss a long day at work, I’ve missed the birthday cakes. It’s easy to forget the human aspect of these jobs that have been mostly solo over the last 18 months.”

It’s not all doom and gloom and I really am looking forward to returning to my office. I’ve missed those shared experiences of hearing someone’s good news together, I’ve missed going to the pub to discuss a long day at work, I’ve missed the birthday cakes. It’s easy to forget the human aspect of these jobs that have been mostly solo over the last 18 months. Perhaps my rose-tinted glasses need some adjusting, but these days I even yearn to watch a colleague chew with their mouth open. I’m fortunate enough to enjoy my job and love where I work, but I know it’s not the same for everyone. It’s an over-simplification to suggest that you should find a working environment that you love – how do you even do that?

Perhaps we should just be grateful that we even have a choice in the first place. Many workers up and down the country don’t have the luxury of working from home at-all, let alone some form of hybrid working. There are genuine benefits to the office, the socialisation aspects, the growth and learning opportunities, the birthday cake – but is this worth the cost of greater autonomy over our day-to-day lives? Is this a step-back in the fight to have a greater work-life balance? How detrimental will all of this be to increasing the level of diversity of thought in the workplace? I’m not sure, but I do know that sales of birthday cakes will surely rise to pre-pandemic levels.