If an employee has told you that they have cancer, you might be wondering what you can do to best support them.
The cancer support specialists at Perci Health understand that it can be daunting if you’ve had little experience in managing someone impacted by cancer. That’s why they have created this valuable guide of 5 key things that can help you to approach the situation professionally and with compassion.
Be understanding
The impact that cancer has on each person is different and depends on a range of factors including the type and stage of cancer, the treatment pathway, and the person themselves. The effect cancer has on their working life can also vary significantly.
Whilst some individuals will want to continue to work for a sense of normalcy, they may not be able to manage the same workload as they did before their diagnosis. Try to be understanding about how a cancer diagnosis is affecting your employee physically and emotionally.
Your employee is likely to be experiencing many emotions including worry, sadness and even anger. These feelings may consume a lot of their headspace, which can lead to problems focusing and thinking clearly, and changes to their behaviour. Whilst this is completely normal when someone is processing a cancer diagnosis and navigating treatment, it can mean that the quality of their work or output fluctuates.
Your employee may also be dealing with fatigue and pain or discomfort which can affect their energy, attention span, and mood. Be patient with them and explore ways you can support them, making them aware of any adjustments available.
Allow them to lead communication
Upon learning that an employee has cancer, invite them to discuss it privately with you, their line manager or a member of the HR team. This could be an informal chat or a more structured meeting but ask the employee what they would prefer. It’s also possible that they won’t want to talk about it. In this instance, let them know they can come to you at any point in the future if they have a change of heart.
Allow your employee to take the lead by sharing as much or as little as they want to about their diagnosis. Whilst there may be some practicalities and accommodations that you’ll need to talk about, approach these with sensitivity by using questions such as ‘how can we make this easier for you?’ and ‘how are you feeling?’
After the initial meeting, ensure your employee is aware that they can reach out to you at any time whether that be for support, to provide updates on their treatment or simply just to talk.
Explain their rights
Once an employee receives a cancer diagnosis, certain rights apply to them, and it is your responsibility to make them aware of these. The Equality Act 2010 protects those with cancer in England, Scotland, and Wales. It applies to all people who have cancer from the point of diagnosis, and those who have had cancer previously. In Northern Ireland, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is the legislation that protects those with cancer against discrimination.
You should also give your employee copies of any company policies so that they have these to refer to.
With the employee, you should explore what the company can do to support them and the options they have about their role, such as working patterns or time off. Give them time to think about what they need or will find helpful and allow them to ask questions for clarity.
Be accommodating and flexible
By law, cancer is deemed a disability, and so employees with cancer have protection from unfair treatment and discrimination. As part of this, employers need to make reasonable adjustments so that an employee can continue to work if they wish.
What constitutes a reasonable adjustment depends on the circumstances, the business, and the nature of the employee’s work. Reasonable adjustments include such things as flexible working options, giving time off for appointments and rehabilitation, changes to duties or the working environment and extra breaks to reduce fatigue.
Maintain confidentiality and respect their boundaries
Communicating with your employee about their diagnosis is an important part of being able to support them and make reasonable adjustments. However, you must honour their boundaries and respect their privacy.
If an employee shares personal and sensitive details with you, you must keep these confidential unless the employee tells you otherwise. If they don’t want to reveal details about their situation, then you must respect this too. Do not try to get them to divulge more information than they are comfortable with by asking invasive questions.
Your employee may request that you inform their colleagues. In this case, ask them for clarity on what and how much to share.
Do not tell any other members of staff unless they must know. For example, you may need to inform the payroll administrator so that they can arrange sick pay but even then, you won’t necessarily need to tell them every detail.
If you want to know more about supporting employees with cancer, Perci Health can help. Their virtual care clinic offers sessions with cancer specialists, providing a range of support types to anyone impacted by cancer.