Employers should identify which staff have responsibilities as carers and seek to help them if they want to retain their skills and get the best out of them, employment relations adviser Acas has warned.

The organisation is warning that many carers are often too worried about the person they care for to look after their own wellbeing, which can have a negative impact on their performance at work and even their ability to continue doing the job.

"Employers should be aware of anyone in their organisation who has caring responsibilities and make sure they are familiar with the regulations and any company policies that apply to carers," said Gill Trevelyan, head of training and equality services at Acas.

"Often carers try and cope alone and don't seek help until it gets too much. We would advise employers to speak to carers within their organisation to see if there are ways they can help them resolve any challenges they may be having balancing work and caring responsibilities.

"This will not only ease the burden for the carer but in the long-run can benefit businesses by reducing absence," she added.

Under current legislation carers of adults and disabled children have the right to request flexible provisions, which can help them balance their work and home demands.

Acas suggests this five-point action plan for companies that find themselves in this position:

• Know where you stand as an employer. Find out about the regulations that apply to carers and review your company policies

• Listen to the situation from the employee's perspective. This will help you to understand their circumstances and recognise what pressure they are under from their caring responsibilities

• Discuss the options not only with the employee but also their colleagues and consider what changes to their work pattern - such as introducing flexible working - may have on their colleagues and the business as a whole

• Be objective. If considering an application or multiple applications for carers to request flexible working it is important to remain objective and not let emotions cloud your judgement

• Take action. This may involve accepting a request for flexible working, discussing a compromise or rejecting the request. If the request is rejected it is important to set out clear business reasons for the rejection