Key takeaways
- You don’t have to tell your employer about your cancer diagnosis but there can be many benefits to doing so
- All employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments so that you can continue to work if you want to
- Under UK law, cancer is considered a disability, meaning it is unlawful for your employer to treat you less favourably due to your diagnosis
- If you need to take time off or are unable to work, your employer should make you aware of company policy and what you are entitled to
If you’ve been recently diagnosed with cancer, you might be concerned about job stability and how your diagnosis will affect your ability to work. You may also feel concerned about telling your employer and about how they might react. Being honest with them about your diagnosis can help them understand how to support you. Depending on your job role, the treatment you’re having and its side effects, your employer should make changes to your working arrangements where they can, to make working possible for you. This guide from Lead Cancer Nurse Specialist Rachel Rawson, offers advice on how to have a conversation with your employer about your circumstances and find out about your rights as an employee.
Should you tell your employer about your cancer diagnosis?
Not everyone chooses to work during cancer treatment, yet some people want to or need to work for financial or other reasons. There is evidence, particularly with people diagnosed with breast cancer, to suggest that returning to work can improve survival rates at all stages. So whether you are just diagnosed with cancer, going through treatment or living with ongoing treatment, work can be beneficial to you.
If you do choose to continue working, you don’t have to tell your employer that you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. However, it’s worth considering that there are many ways they can support you if you do decide to tell them. Employers can offer psychological and emotional support through employee benefits. Employers should also make practical changes that can make you more comfortable and help ease some of the stress of juggling your health, work, and other practicalities. In addition, they can tell you about company policies and could put you in contact with occupational health or other professionals who can support you through treatment.
As an occupational therapist, I support members who are going through cancer treatment while working. We’ll look at your physical strength and fatigue, so we know how you might manage during a work day. I’ll carry out cognitive assessments to determine whether you have the ability to concentrate on your work, or whether you might need support in the short term. We’ll identify concerns around mental and emotional health, and develop practical ways to reduce anxiety around these. We’ll consider adaptations you might need to your working environment, which can make you feel more comfortable. Finally, I can speak to your employer on your behalf or help you prepare for important conversations with them.
Anna Howells, Occupational Therapist, Perci Health
What’s the best way to tell your employer you have cancer?
If you’ve decided that telling work about your diagnosis is what’s right for you, your first step is to contact an appropriate person and ask for a private meeting. This could be your line manager, someone from human resources or occupational health, or a trade union representative. It’s normal to feel nervous about sharing your diagnosis, so you may want to bring along a family member, friend, colleague or union representative.
- Before the meeting, note down the things you would like to talk about and make a list of questions
- During the meeting, take the opportunity to discuss any adjustments you think may help you and ask for any handbooks, policies or information about absence, sick pay, counselling, etc.
- Make notes and if your employer writes anything down during the meeting, request a copy so that you have it to refer to later
- It’s especially important to keep your employer updated about your treatment as things can and do change, so suggest regular meetings
Should you tell your colleagues about your diagnosis?
Just as with your employer, you don’t have to tell your colleagues that you have cancer. Furthermore, if you’ve spoken to your employer about your diagnosis, you can request that everything discussed is kept confidential. If you do choose to tell your colleagues, what you choose to tell them may depend on the relationships you have with them.
There are many ways in which telling colleagues about your cancer diagnosis can be helpful. It gives them the opportunity to support you, and also makes it easier for you to ask for help if you need it. It can help them to preempt and understand any physical, emotional, and practical challenges you might experience, to prepare for any time you might take, and can help you to feel closer as a team.
There are a lot of expectations, and therefore pressures, around working while having cancer treatment or returning to work after treatment. More often than not this pressure is self-generated. People feel they need to get back to how life used to be before cancer, or they feel guilty about the extra work their team is doing while they’re off or while coping with side-effects. There are also wider cultural and societal expectations to contend with, such as people’s sense of value being dependent on how productive they are. The general public don’t fully understand the impact of cancer treatment and those living with or beyond cancer can end up pushing themselves beyond their limits.
Dr Lisa Dvorjetz, Counselling Psychologist, Perci Health
What if your employer isn’t supportive?
Most people who tell their employers they have cancer find that their employers are supportive. But if you’re worried this won’t be the case, or you feel like you’re being discriminated against because of your diagnosis, you do have rights and there are organisations that can provide guidance. The Equality Act 2010 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 protect you from being discriminated against if you have cancer and this protection continues even once treatment has finished. You can speak to your HR department about their policies or get advice from the Equality Advisory & Support Service, Macmillan, who are partnered with Citizens Advice, and Working with Cancer.
It’s understandable to have concerns about whether an employer can dismiss you or make you redundant if you have cancer. Legislation stipulates that employers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ so that you can continue to work if you want to. There is, however, no fixed definition of reasonable adjustments. These will depend on the size and structure of the company and your job role, among other things. Although unlikely, your employer might be able to dismiss you under certain circumstances, for example, if it’s not possible to move you into another role or if you can’t carry out the main part of your role, even if adjustments have been made.
What happens if you need to take time off?
There isn’t an average time to take off work with cancer as everybody is different. Some people may be able to continue to work and just need time off around treatment and for appointments, while others may not feel well enough to continue their role for a period of time.
If you need to take time off or are unable to work, your employer should make you aware of company policy and what you are entitled to. You might be able to adopt flexible hours, for instance, or work from home. Depending on your contract, you may be entitled to fully or partially paid sick leave from the company, or Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), you may also have access to income protection insurance. When you are ready to return to work after treatment, you may want to continue flexible hours or have a phased return.
Telling your employer you have cancer can feel very challenging, especially during what is already a difficult and worrying period of life. Our Cancer Nurse Specialists are trained to listen and offer guidance around working while having cancer treatment, and can refer you to cancer specialists, including occupational therapists, psychologists and physiotherapists, who can support you to continue working or around your return.
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.