If an employee has told you that they have cancer, you might be wondering how best to support them. We know it can be daunting to navigate the legal obligations you must abide by whilst also ensuring you handle things with sensitivity and empathy.
A cancer support specialist at Perci Health has put together a helpful guide of six key things that can help you to approach the situation professionally when an employee has cancer.
Be understanding and flexible
Cancer affects everyone differently and how it impacts someone’s working life will also vary greatly. For example, some people like to continue working for a sense of normalcy but have to adjust the type or amount of work they do as a result of fatigue or changes to their strength.
Their disposition at work might also change. This is a normal reaction when someone is processing a cancer diagnosis and going through treatment. You may notice dips in the quality of their work or their productivity too. Again, this is normal and is because your employee is likely to be experiencing many emotions including worry, fear, and anger. These feelings can occupy a lot of their headspace, causing their focus to be drawn from other things.
Try to be understanding about how much of an impact a cancer diagnosis might be having on your employee both physically and emotionally. Take a flexible approach concerning their work hours and responsibilities and don’t be too hard on them if their output isn’t the same as usual.
Take cues about communication from them
After learning that an employee has cancer, encourage them to discuss it privately be that with you, their line manager or a member of the HR team. They may not wish to talk about it, in which case don’t push the matter unless there is an aspect that requires discussion such as time off or adjustments at work.
If the employee is happy to talk about it, let them lead the conversation, sharing as much or as little as they want to. If it’s appropriate to ask questions, take a compassionate approach. Try to ask questions such as ‘how can we make this easier for you?’ and ‘how are you feeling?’ You should let your employee know what your organisation can do to support them and what adjustments you can make to their role should they wish.
After initially reaching out, whether there has been a discussion or not, make sure your employee is aware that you have an open-door policy and that they can come to you at any time to ask questions, give updates or simply just chat.
Explain their rights
You should ensure that your employee has access to company policies so that they can read them and ask for clarity on any points if they need to.
It’s also good practice to let them know about the laws that apply to their situation. In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 protects employees with cancer. It relates to all people who have cancer from the point of diagnosis, regardless of the type of cancer they have as well as those who have previously had cancer. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is the relevant legislation in Northern Ireland.
Respect their confidentiality
Matters about someone’s health are private so remember it is your employee’s decision as to who they share their diagnosis with and how much they choose to reveal. Unless your employee has explicitly given your permission to tell other people about their diagnosis, keep anything they tell you to yourself. This, of course, excludes instances where other people need to know about their diagnosis, for example, for purposes of health insurance or organising sick pay.
Your employee may ask you to tell their colleagues about their diagnosis on their behalf. In this case, ask them what they would like you to tell others and whether they are happy for people to approach them about it after you share the news.
Make reasonable adjustments
The law deems cancer as a disability, so protects any employee with cancer from unfair treatment and discrimination. As their employer, this means that you must make reasonable adjustments for your employee so that they can continue to work should they wish to.
Reasonable adjustments cover a broad range of things and will be dependent on the employee’s working environment, the nature of your business and the employee’s responsibilities. Shorter shifts, working from home, closer parking, altering the scope of duties, extra breaks and the provision of specific equipment are all examples of reasonable adjustments.
Treat them as you normally would
Remember that while your employee’s current circumstances have changed, they are still the same person. Not all of your conversations have to be about their diagnosis. In fact, many people living with cancer appreciate having a ‘normal’ chat.
If your relationship with your employee was friendly and based on humour before their diagnosis, it’s still ok to tell a joke or a funny anecdote. Just gauge from your employee whether it is the right time and occasion to do so.