CREATING CANCER-INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES
For employers, there is an invisible cost to letting go of valued employees who bring experience, relationships and institutional knowledge. It is more beneficial to support them through a difficult season by creating a cancer-inclusive workplace.
Practical steps can be simple. They can involve extending existing policies – flexible arrangements, employee support programmes, or phased return-to-work approaches – to employees diagnosed with cancer and caregivers.
Josephine, a coach at an SCS programme, recalls the challenges she faced after being diagnosed with breast cancer, balancing treatment, recovery and caring for her son. For many like her, flexibility enables a better work-life balance and supports overall personal well-being.
Workplaces must also cultivate the right mindset. Many cancer survivors face difficulties finding employment, and those who choose to stay in their jobs endure misconceptions that their illness will affect their productivity. This overlooks their resilience, perspectives and commitment.
As Doris, a breast cancer survivor and patient care assistant at SCS, shared: “We’re not looking for pity, just equal opportunity, flexibility when needed, and a culture of trust.”
To build a more cancer-inclusive workplace, employers should ask: Do our staff feel safe and supported? Do they feel that they can be honest about what they’re going through? If not, what needs to change?
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