Vanessa Sallows highlights how employers can help employees through cancer diagnosis, treatment, recovery and getting back to work.
Approximately 90,000 15-64 year olds are diagnosed with cancer every year. At any one time, 500,000 people of working age are living with the disease. With ten-year survival rates for all cancers combined having doubled over the last 30 years, the chance of surviving cancer and being able to return to work is higher than it has ever been. And yet, our expectations and working practices do not appear to have changed to reflect this.
There are 200 different types of cancer, and the symptoms and side effects from each one will affect each person differently. How staff cope with their situation along with their attitude to work will vary enormously. However, for many, their overriding desire is to get well and return to normality. Work often provides a strong incentive towards achieving this goal and therefore has a significant role to play.
The Macmillan Manchester Research Unit (MMRU) report highlights that, even now, most people receive little or no medical advice to understand the impact cancer and the effect the treatment of it will have on their working lives.
Disabled status
In addition, one in five employers are not aware that cancer sufferers (even those who are ‘cured’) are classed as disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). This covers people living with and in remission from cancer, and includes all aspects of employment from recruitment; terms and conditions of employment; opportunities for promotion; transfer, training and benefits; unfair dismissal; harassment and victimisation. The DDA also requires that employees affected by cancer should have reasonable work performance targets adjusted to reflect their illness and that eligibility for, and participation in, incentive schemes should not be discriminatory.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of employers have no policy for managing employees affected by cancer and are consequently poorly equipped to handle these difficult situations.
The first thing employers can do is ensure that they have guidelines in place on how to support their staff when they are affected by cancer as well as other critical or life-threatening illnesses. (The CIPD website www.cipd.co.uk provides a good example of a cancer policy.)
Secondly, they need a process to ensure that they meet with the staff member as soon as they have been diagnosed with cancer. The need to respect privacy is essential but the discussion should include who they would like to know, and who needs to know about their situation. Most importantly, it should include information about the practical and financial support available to them.
At the same time, providing links to outside resources can be particularly helpful, especially for finding out more about cancer, its treatment, likely absence from work and successful reintegration. These resources and information should also be made available to family members and friends, as well as work colleagues where appropriate.
Many companies have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that can provide counselling, advice and information to employees as well as employers.
Some employees may want to work through some, or all, of their treatment, and employers can help them by making reasonable adjustments to their hours, workplace or workload. Even small changes like allowing them to work flexible hours to avoid the rush hour, allocating a parking slot near the entrance, or perhaps arranging for some lighter duties can all help the individual retain some normality rather than experience the isolation of being permanently at home.
Companies that have Group Income Protection may be able to claim benefits for their staff once they have completed the relevant deferred period. Many will financially support those endeavouring to remain at work in a reduced capacity while they are receiving treatment. They may also link claims, which means that the person does not have to restart a deferred period should they go absent again.
It’s good to talk
One of the most important aspects is to keep in touch with the employee. This applies not only to HR but also, (providing the employee is in agreement) their colleagues. Often arranging for a work ‘buddy’ or their line manager to keep them up to date with key developments will help to ensure that they continue to feel involved and valued.
And it is not only the employee that needs support. Often the team is affected by the situation and the employer should consider the impact on them, at both an emotional as well as a practical level.
Getting back to work soon after treatment is seen by many as part of re-establishing a normal lifestyle. Yet, many staff do not receive any medical or practical advice when returning, and a typical response from a GP is ‘go back when you feel ready’.
Often treatment and recovery can take many months and so returning to work after this length of time can be a very difficult situation. Some will feel nervous and concerned about whether they are going to be able to cope. “I was given lots of information about breast cancer and its effects but I was not given any information about what I should do about work”, is a classic refrain.
Often, it is the practical issues that are a concern. For a woman who has had a mastectomy and lost her hair as a result of the treatment, it is likely to centre around how she looks. For those that have surgery that has caused disfigurement or scarring, this may have had a profound effect on their confidence. For someone who has had a colostomy/ileostomy, it might be practical issues around wearing a colostomy/ileostomy bag.
There are also psychological issues to overcome with regard to this life changing event and the patient’s ability to return to the working environment. A course of counselling or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy might be appropriate to help them.
Following treatment, individuals are likely to suffer varying levels of fatigue and so it is important that any return to work programme also takes this into account. This may include a phased return to work, changes to work patterns, partial home working and adjustments within the workplace.
Providers offer varying levels of practical as well as emotional support for cancer sufferers and their employers as part of their Group Income Protection proposition. Most will consider a partial benefit if the person is unable to work full time or they are only able to return to an alternative job that is lower paid. Some will even pay up to three months full benefit to support a graded return to work.
But do employers have the resources they need? According to the CIPD in their Working With Cancer survey report November 2006, the types of resources employers said they would find most helpful were as follows:
95% cited information on understanding cancer and the impact of treatment on an individual in the work place, 93% cited information for employees affected by cancer, 92% cited a template for managing employees affected by cancer, 90% cited for information for work colleagues.
Being diagnosed with cancer can be one of the most difficult situations anyone has to face. However, with advances in medical science, the five-year survival rate for two of the leading causes of cancer, breast and prostate, are over 75%. This means that the prognosis for being able to return to work is high.
It is not surprising therefore that employers have an increasingly important part to play in helping their staff cope with this life changing event and return to normality.
Vanessa Sallows is Medical Underwriting and Benefits Director for Group Protection at Legal & General
