Articles
Blogs and articles written for various organisations about managing work and cancer. We have organised these according to whether you are: someone who has/has had cancer; an HR professional or a policy maker about managing cancer in the workplace; a line manager; a carer, colleague or supporter of someone with cancer. Choose from the options below:
Or, click here to view a full list of articles.
Do your HR policies and processes support employees with cancer?
Posted: 8th February 2018
Successfully managing an employee with cancer will become a far more common experience for line managers, and one of the most challenging. Read this article, written by Barbara Wilson for the HR Zone, about the HR policies and processes employers should put in place to support employees with cancer and ensure that they make a… [Read More]
What is ‘Chemo brain’ – and how can you support an employee who is affected by it?
Posted: 7th December 2017
Chemo brain refers to the cognitive changes that people with cancer may experience before, during and after cancer treatment. These changes may include having trouble with mental tasks related to attention span, thinking, and short-term memory. Many people describe this as a mental fog. The condition is common in cancer patients and survivors, and sometimes… [Read More]
Economist Intelligence Unit report – breast cancer patients and survivors in the EU workforce
Posted: 3rd November 2017
WWC contributed to an Economist Intelligence Unit report on breast cancer patients and survivors in the EU workforce. There is also a separate report on the situation in the UK. Read the reports here
After Treatment Ends – 10 Things I Have Learned by Jo Larbie
Posted: 11th October 2017
Jo Larbie was coached by WWC. Read about how Jo dealt with her cancer and what she had learned. “Looking back, my ‘never, never, never, give up’ mind-set was key to my survival. This was important because perseverance produces endurance and with endurance comes staying power which enabled me to keep going, even though I… [Read More]
Returning to work after cancer: seven steps to success
Posted: 3rd October 2017
Going back to work, sometimes after many months with relatively little contact with your employer, can be a scary time. Some people’s diagnosis and/or physiology allows them to work during some – or even most – of their cancer treatment so returning to work is less of an issue. But for many, this simply isn’t… [Read More]
Woman & Home Magazine – an interview with Barbara Wilson
Posted: 9th August 2017
An interview with Barbara Wilson appears in the September issue of Woman & Home magazine. Barbara talks about what inspired her to set up Working with Cancer, and the support she received from the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE). Read the full article here
Life after Cancer
Posted: 17th July 2017
This powerful blog by Chloe Fox, posted in the Sunday Times on 9th July, describes how a cancer diagnosis gets all of us to ask some fundamental questions of ourselves. “Cancer locks you inside your own body and out of your own life….It forces you to ask yourself the one question that only you can… [Read More]
After returning to work: Keep talking and adjusting if necessary
Posted: 10th July 2017
In our final stage of the return to work we look at the ongoing weeks and months after the initial return. Last but not least, be aware that it often takes months to fully recover from treatment – emotionally and physically. Arguably this is the most difficult stage of all four because you should be… [Read More]
When a colleague has cancer it can impact the whole team. Here are some ways to support them throughout the process
Posted: 7th July 2017
Finding out a colleague has cancer, particularly if you work very closely with them, can be a big shock. Often they are our friends as well as colleagues and the organisation’s focus is very much on supporting the affected employee. This is as it should be, but the impact on the wider team shouldn’t be… [Read More]
One story of working through cancer treatment
Posted: 7th July 2017
First there’s the shock and the disbelief. Then there’s the realisation that life goes on, that there are decisions – big decisions – to be made about how you are going to live it. When I got my breast cancer diagnosis in May 2012 I was in the middle of a big fundraising project for… [Read More]