Key takeaways
- Work can be a key way to recover psychologically from cancer treatment but it’s important to manage your health and wellbeing
- People with cancer are protected by law and you have a right to reasonable adjustments that can help you continue to do your work
- Making sure you get quality sleep and eat nourishing food can help you to cope with the demands of work
- Plan ahead for your return and take time to process your feelings about it
Many people feel that returning to work after cancer treatment helps them to regain confidence, connect with their identity and find a new normal. However, side-effects from cancer and its treatment, including cancer-related fatigue and cancer-related cognitive impairment (brain fog), can also make work challenging. This article offers guidance to help someone returning to work balance their work and wellbeing, and offers tips for coping with colleagues’ responses.
Request reasonable adjustments
There are aspects of employment law that cover employees with cancer. In England, Scotland, and Wales, this is the Equality Act 2010 and in Northern Ireland, it is the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. These pieces of legislation class anyone with cancer as having a disability, meaning that they are protected from discrimination and unfair treatment.
These laws mean that your employer is required to make reasonable adjustments to your role and working environment so that you can continue working should you wish to. What these reasonable adjustments are will depend on the type of work you do and the size of the company you work for. If there is anything that you feel would make it easier for you to continue working while navigating cancer treatment and recovery, speak to your employer. Reasonable adjustments might include:
- Changes to working hours
- Working from home
- Longer breaks
- Lighter duties
- Sharing responsibilities with a colleague
- Parking close to the office
- Specialist equipment
- Being near the bathroom
Ask for flexibility
If you want to continue working during or after your cancer treatment but recognise that attending appointments and managing side-effects might make that difficult, ask your employer for flexibility in your role and working hours. It might be helpful to set up a meeting so you can discuss the options available. Flexible working arrangements might include:
- Time off for appointments
- The option to work from home
- Core hours with the ability to complete remaining hours at any time
- Paid or unpaid leave
- Using accrued holiday
Reduce your hours
After being diagnosed with cancer, it’s common to worry about your ability to work and, therefore, your financial security. Some people may want to continue working and some may find that they are no longer able to or that they need to take a step back to focus on their treatment.
Depending on your circumstances, it might be an option to reduce your working hours, even temporarily. Speak to your manager about the possibilities. For instance, you might be able to do shorter hours or work fewer days each week. If you are concerned about how cancer might affect your income, there are charities and organisations, such as Macmillan, that can advise you on what financial support might be available.
Get support to manage physical side-effects
Returning to work has many health benefits but can also cause increased pain, fatigue and cognitive problems. Adapting to these limitations by making some minor changes can be helpful.
Firstly, it ‘s important at all times to discuss any concerns with your manager or Human Resources. They can support you to plan breaks throughout the day to help keep your energy levels up. You can use lists, calendar reminders and alarms to help you manage meetings and tasks. These small changes can make things feel less overwhelming and more in control. It’s important to remind yourself that asking for help and support is a strength not a weakness.
Tips for going back to work after cancer
Plan ahead
It’s a good idea to agree to a return to work plan with your employer in advance. This can be done in person, by video call or phone. You may find it helpful to have a friend or family member join the call for support and to help you remember what was discussed. The agreement should consider if you are still experiencing any side-effects from your treatment, how long these may last and detail any time outside of work for appointments that you may need.
Coping with difficult conversations
Increased social interactions when you return to work can help you feel less isolated and more connected to others, but this can also be overwhelming. Many people experience anxiety about talking to coworkers on their return. Consider how much you want others to know. Some find it helpful to meet up in advance of their return to work date with a few close colleagues. Others find it helpful to send an email outlining when they will be back, why they were off and how they would like to be treated on their return. Putting this in place can help when people ask questions you don’t feel comfortable answering.
Tackling colleagues’ responses
Colleagues may respond in a variety of ways when you return to work. In an effort to support you people often get it wrong. If people are overly sympathetic it’s okay to feel uncomfortable or frustrated. These feelings are normal. Gently let people know what is and isn’t helpful, and say that while you appreciate sympathy, it makes you feel a little uncomfortable. If you have a work colleague who you trust and who is supportive you could also ask them to explain how you are feeling on your behalf. While you might worry about how others might respond to your requests, many will be relieved to know how they can help.
Other colleagues may appear to be completely unsympathetic towards you and behave awkwardly around you, because they don’t know how to react or speak to you. Decide if you would like to ignore or challenge this behaviour. If you’d like to challenge it, think about booking a meeting and perhaps asking your manager to support you. Taking action to resolve these situations rather than avoiding them helps to reduce the worry and can give you a sense of control which may help you to feel less anxious.
Take time to process your feelings
Colleagues may think that because your cancer treatment is over that everything is ‘back to normal’, when in fact it is almost always a difficult period of reflection, processing what has happened and re-evaluating what is important to you. You may feel angry if you are struggling to carry out your normal tasks, worried about how colleagues see you, guilty that others have had to take on more work or anxious about your own financial situation.
It’s important to acknowledge and validate any difficult feelings you might have. Talk about them with people you trust, that might include friends, family, faith leaders or a therapist. Be kind to yourself and implement plenty of self-care in your work breaks and outside of work. It’s also important to recognise that sometimes returning to work is not the best thing right now and to give yourself permission, if you can, to stop and re-evaluate.
While we have ensured that every article is medically reviewed and approved, information presented here is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to one of our healthcare professionals or your primary healthcare team.