"There’s a positive shift with employers recognising the importance of cancer support, both legally and ethically. However, the gap between awareness and action remains concerning."
- Mark Stephenson, CEO at Reframe Cancer
Of those surveyed (500) as part of Reframe Cancer’s ‘The Employee Experience Report: Living & Working with Cancer’, 66% of employees don’t think their employer was quick to respond and offer support upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, and only 33% said their employer showed concern and/or interest throughout their cancer journey. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that more than seven in ten (71%) of staff don’t believe that their employer was fully prepared to support an employee battling cancer.
Although some (33%) employees think work is a ‘good distraction’ during their cancer journey, 67% didn’t agree that this was the case. Reframe Cancer has found that 22% of staff feel stressed while working with cancer, with those in supervisory and middle management roles feeling the highest levels of stress (25%) compared to just 12% of those holding more junior, entry level positions.
Notably, 70% of employees with cancer recognise that the emotional impact of cancer makes it difficult to keep working, with the same figure saying physical symptoms such as fatigue and nausea make the workplace challenging. 69% said the cognitive symptoms of cancer such as brain fog, hinder their ability to work productively.
Despite the Equality Act 2010 classifying cancer as a disability, Reframe Cancer found that 73% of employees with cancer don’t have the option of workplace adjustments upon their return to work. This was most evident amongst female employees with 54% saying they hadn’t experienced workplace adjustments. Concerningly, one in five (20%) of staff said they weren’t aware and don’t understand their rights.
Consequently, 11% of employees said they plan to leave their employer because of limited support during their cancer journey. In workplaces where colleagues deliberately avoided talking about their cancer diagnosis, 17% said they wanted to move jobs.
Reframe Cancer urges employers to consider these statistics, especially since cancer-related absence could cost UK businesses £1.6bn in 2024 alone.
READ MORE: Reframe Cancer reveals cancer-related absence could cost UK economy £1.6bn in 2024
It’s important to understand that with the right level of workplace wellbeing & support, employees can cope better with health challenges and return to work with more loyalty and resilience. Reframe Cancer found that 72% of employees with cancer thought that their symptoms had made them a changed person, while 57% considered themselves a changed employee. Six in ten (59%) said they have a better appreciation of life, having experienced working with cancer.
“There’s a positive shift with employers recognising the importance of cancer support, both legally and ethically. However, the gap between awareness and action remains concerning,” explained Mark Stephenson, CEO at Reframe Cancer.
He said: “Considering more adjustments are minor, this suggests a knowledge gap rather than a lack of care. Simple changes can make all the difference to someone returning to work which can really drive workplace advocacy.”
Responding to these findings, Roy McLoughlin, Director at Cavendish Ware, said “When employees are dealing with a critical illness such as cancer, they want to know more than ever that their employer is fully behind them and offering the best support possible, be it emotional and practical.
“With the right workplace policies in place, employers can help make an employee’s cancer journey a little less stressful and more comfortable. Hopefully more employers will take this on board and relook at their policies if needed,” he concluded.
