Sunday (1st June) was National Cancer Survivors Day, created to raise awareness of the ongoing, often invisible challenges that people living and working with/after cancer face.
Several studies show that employees with cancer feel their employers are not adequately supporting them, so we’ve complied these 11 checks for employers regarding the best way to support employees, from diagnosis to return to work and beyond.
1. Develop a specific cancer policy
Cancer tends to fall under generic HR policies, which fail to address the specific needs of those affected and the benefits and adjustments that would best support them.
There are also often gaps particularly in relation to financial wellbeing, line management, learning & development opportunities and stigma.
Best practice would include tailored policies for supporting employees with an advanced, or terminal diagnosis, too.
Charity Macmillan offers free templates to help HR teams develop a company policy for handling cancer in the workplace, and for supporting carers.
2. Understand Legal Obligations
Many employers are unaware that under the Equality Act, anyone diagnosed with cancer is legally classified as disabled and protected from discrimination for life—including after remission. Carers are also covered under these protections.
Awareness is critical: in one case, a senior female executive at cashpoint firm Cennox recently won £1.2 million after her employer gave her job to a colleague while she was off sick for cancer treatment.
3. Gather and use data
Only 18% of HR managers collect data on cancer in the workplace [ref. The Bevan report, led by Institute for Employment Studies for Working with Cancer]. Tracking diagnoses, return-to-work rates, and outcomes helps build effective, fair and consistent support.
4. Go beyond ‘ringing the bell’
77% of employees feel that their employee benefits do not meet their needs during their cancer journey, according to research from Reframe Cancer in its The Employee Experience Report.
As cancer survivor and pharmacist Rachel Westwood says in this feature, there’s a common misperception that when a person ‘rings the bell’ that the cancer journey has ended. In many cases, like hers, the side effects and post-op medication continue and impact an individual’s ability to perform mentally and physically.
Company benefits such as physiotherapy, health-related coaching and vocational rehabilitation can be extremely helpful in supporting employees with cancer to return and stay in work. The physical side effects can last for years and include ‘invisible’ ones like fatigue, pain, risk of infection, appetite changes, to name a few.
Mental side effects are often invisible, too, like the panic experienced from the fear of recurrence and the loss of confidence that often happens post diagnosis.
Any support that employers can offer to employees may be crucial in raising confidence and reducing anxiety especially – as the Bevan report makes clear – that psychological wellbeing may be a longterm barrier to a successful return to work.
Reframe’s study also shows that when employees feel supported, heard and understood they are more likely to consider work as a positive, which reduces absence and talent loss.
5. Enable work as a recovery tool
‘Good’ work can be a powerful part of an employee’s successful recovery, so it’s crucial employers don’t make assumptions about whether individuals want to work or not throughout treatment. As Rachel says in this feature, it can make a huge difference to an individual if an employer works out a manageable work plan that balances rest with the benefits of work.
As the 2020 Working with Cancer report ‘Best Practice Guide for Colleagues’ states, work can be important to cancer survivors because it provides a sense of identity, self esteem, purpose, structure, social interaction, financial independence and physical and emotional recovery.
Employee benefits like counselling, coaching, vocational rehab and inhouse peer networks can be important sources of support, which pave the way for more successful returns.
6. On going conversations
It’s important that any plan is developed in consultation with individuals and is reviewed on an on-going basis as perspectives often change (as Rachel says here, don’t make assumptions). Regularly revisit work patterns, job role and job design.
In addition, return to work strategies also need to be personalised (rather than a blanket policy) because treatments and responses to treatment vary so wildly.
For inspiration, Macmillan has videos on its website of HR professionals giving their advice on how to talk to people with cancer, how people talked about their diagnosis and case studies of how employers have dealt with individual cases.
7. Better signposting
Line managers and employees with cancer often aren’t aware of the support available from charities and the government.
For instance, only around half (54%) of HR managers knew about the government scheme Access to Work, which provides financial assistance for workplace adjustments [ref. Bevan report]. Given the economic pressure which is a major barrier to employers providing better cancer support, these alternative sources of support are crucial for individuals to know about.
Charities like Macmillan, Maggie’s and Cancer Research UK offer free resources, workshops and guides.
8. Prioritise Communication
Clearly assign responsibility for communicating employee benefits.
The Best Practice for Colleagues suggests a range of ways to start a conversation, from reacting to a diagnosis to when colleagues are unwell and undergoing treatment to when they are returning to work. It also offers advice for when the colleague is a line manager, as well as someone in your team.
9. Line manager training
Line managers need training in:
• The side effects of cancer including the psychological impact
• The challenge of cancer being a long-term and fluctuating condition
• Relevant company benefits and policies
• The Equality Act and reasonable adjustments
• When and how to have conversations about cancer
• Creating a return-to-work plan for and with an employee
Cancer charities like Macmillan also offer free resources, such as Macmillan at Work free e-learning for line managers, masterclass webinars and information booklets.
10. Reasonable adjustments
As the ‘Best Practice Guide for Colleagues’ says, “sometimes just a few small relatively inexpensive changes might be necessary to help an employee remain in or return to work”.
For instance, removing onerous aspects of a job, such as foreign or frequent travel and allowing extra breaks to cope with fatigue or providing a quiet room where they can have a short rest.
While carers are not entitled to reasonable adjustments by law, they are entitled to ask for flexible working and time off for emergencies.
11. Supporting the line managers
Given supporting an employee with cancer can be emotional exhausting, it’s important that line managers are also supported and encouraged to also access support, like the EAP.
In best practice, HR managers will be keeping informed of a case and aware of any issues that arise, as well as ensuring that discrimination doesn’t occur. They will also make clear to managers of any actions or behaviour expected of them.
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