"In our decade-long experience as a back-to-work rehabilitation specialist, we’ve found that many people with cancer want and need to be in work. "
- Dr Julie Denning, Managing Director & Chartered Health Psychologist at Working To Wellbeing
Of those surveyed (108), only 43% of employees who have, or have had, cancer in the workplace were satisfied with their return-to-work programme, with satisfaction decreasing to 32% among those aged 55+ compared to those aged 35 or under (63%). This was despite 70% of line managers (370) claiming they’d be able to confidently support colleagues with a long-term health condition, such as cancer.
Working To Wellbeing highlighted that the number of people surviving cancer is expected to rise, which will lead to more employers being called upon to provide return-to-work support. 58% of line managers think managing these programmes is the responsibility of Human Resources (HR), rising to 61% among male line managers.
When discussing career advice, only 30% of employees who have, or have had, cancer in the workplace were satisfied with the advice they’d received. Notably, this fell to 25% of women compared to 35% of men.
Dr Julie Denning, Managing Director & Chartered Health Psychologist at Working To Wellbeing, said due to earlier diagnoses and developments in treatments, cancer survival rates are rising and more people with cancer are heading back to the workplace. “It’s crucial that employers understand how to prepare for both a phased, and personalised, return-to-work programme […] Supporting colleagues with cancer in the workplace is not ‘just the right thing to do’, it’s also a legal obligation,” she explained.
Employees faced with a cancer diagnosis, must navigate changes in both their physical and mental health, including fatigue, chronic pain, and mobility issues. Julie said it’s important that both employees and line managers recognise the implications of these challenges before considering what a “successful and sustainable return-to-work programme can look like.”
“We believe that good work is an important part of the recovery pathway and is an outcome that we work towards,” she concluded.
