Aged care: Discover a career with flexible hours and work-life balance

The Australian workforce has long strived to achieve a healthy work-life balance, and for good reason.

Having a healthy split between work life and home life can have considerable positive effects on your mental and physical health. Leah Lambart, career coach and founder at Relaunch Me explains that the lack of work-life balance over an extended period can lead to burnout, which can be dangerous.

“More serious symptoms may include consistent health problems such as headaches, back or neck pain, constant fatigue or insomnia,” she warns.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked many irreversible changes, including to attitudes towards work. More than ever, Australians want flexibility from their jobs – whether that means more flexible working hours, or the ability to have a hybrid schedule between the office and their home.

Research conducted by SEEK reveals that 31% of Australian workers are looking to move jobs within the next six months, and one of the top four reasons they’re looking to move roles is for a better work-life balance.

The aged care industry presents a fantastic opportunity for those looking for more flexible hours, better fulfillment, and greater freedom to focus on your personal life. So, how can aged care potentially offer you a great work-life balance? Let’s hear from three industry specialists on why their jobs work flexibly for them.

Greater opportunities and greater choice of roles

Workers in the aged care industry are heavily in demand, and due to an ageing population, this demand will only increase – in fact, research from CEDA estimates that Australia will need 1 million extra aged care workers by 2050, quadrupling the current workforce.

This availability of work can make it easier to find opportunities that suit your specific lifestyle. Flerida Enriquez, a Registered Nurse for Bupa, said one of the reasons she’s enjoyed her career for the last 8 years in aged care has been because she can choose from a range of roles.

“There’s a lot of demand for roles in aged care, which has helped me find opportunities that suit my lifestyle,” she says. “It makes it easier to find jobs that suit the hours you want, or duties you prefer to do, or not do.

The aged care industry is demanding, and the pressure is there, but even after all these years I still love working in aged care. I’m really happy and fulfilled getting to work with the elderly and make a difference in their lives.”

Achieving a work-life balance in the aged care industry

One of the key benefits of the aged care industry is the ability to strike a healthier work-life balance through flexible working hours. Aged care professionals are more likely to be able to create schedules that work around their lives, rather than having to adapt their lives to fit a particular work schedule. This means more time for your family or to focus on other important areas in your life outside of work.

For Kate Page, National Services Manager for Mercy Health, this was one of the key reasons she entered the industry.

“I left the hospital sector and began working in aged care for the very reason of work-life balance,” she says. “Being a mum of young children, I didn’t want to be on a rotating roster and expected to do night duty and work every second weekend.”

For Kate, the breadth of roles available has made it possible to secure shifts that match her lifestyle.

“There were many varying roles, shift times, and flexibility with managers that I could make work for me and my family.”

As well as flexibility in hours, the way in which aged care focuses on care for people further added to Kate’s fulfilment at work. Working in a satisfying and nurturing environment has made all the difference and is why Kate has stayed dedicated to the industry for more than 11 years.

“I didn’t plan to stay in aged care for this long but the feeling of being at home in someone else’s home makes me feel comfortable and wanting to come back. It’s a privilege to care for people in their environment.

“Although aged care is very busy – the ability for staff to have work-life balance seems to have a positive impact on retention and creating great relationships.”

Aged care work as a flexible option for allied health professionals

Allied health professionals often deal with rigid clinic hours, or long hours in hospitals. This can be incredibly demanding on an individual’s personal life, as well as making it difficult to prioritise a healthy work-life balance.

Allied health has an important part to play in the aged care sector and can offer professionals a much more balanced and flexible work lifestyle. For Dominique Peterson, a Physiotherapist for Hammond Care, flexibility was a huge drawcard when choosing a career in aged care.

“The flexibility is huge in this role – as is the autonomy that comes with that,” she says. “There’s flexibility in the scope of work, as your day varies across working with clients in their homes, at the gym, taking them for walks on the beach, and more.

“Having the ability to move my day around as needed is great as well - meaning I have time for other things in life.”

For Dominique, the benefits of working as an allied health professional in the aged care sector don’t end with flexibility. She says the type of work is incredibly rewarding, as you get to make a significant impact to the lives of your patients.

“In the aged care industry, especially when it’s community based, we have the advantage of time – time to get to know people, and build relationships. That then positively affects outcomes for both clinician and client.

“The stories and life experience of this group teach me a great deal and give me a great appreciation for life in general.”

Could a career in aged care give you the work-life balance you’re looking for?

Amid the many changes the global COVID-19 pandemic brought with it, the shift towards prioritising work-life balance over anything else has been major. Many Australians have used the last few years to stop and reflect on what’s most important, and having a fulfilling, flexible, and lifestyle-oriented job has come out as a top priority.

While a career in aged care is still challenging, there are many great benefits to the sector – including the ability to carve out a strong work-life balance. If having the flexibility to choose opportunities that suit your lifestyle, work less demanding hours, and prioritise things outside of work sound like great drawcards to you, it could be the right career move for you.

*Source: Independent research conducted by Nature on behalf of SEEK interviewing 4800 Australians annually. Published January 2022.