News

UK Workplaces Falling Short in Supporting Employees Affected by Cancer

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New research launched today by Working With Cancer reveals that many HR managers are ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of cancer and long-term health issues in the workplace. Working With Cancer’s report which was produced in conjunction with the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) shows that although many organisations are demonstrating areas of good practice, too many still do not take into account the specific needs of the increasing number of employees working with cancer.  Too many organisations do not yet provide adequate information, training and support to their HR and line management teams. This new report calls for organisations to develop specific cancer policies, provide training for HR and line managers and review current employee benefits to better support employees with long-term health conditions. 

Supporting Employees Through Cancer Treatment and Recovery: A Manager’s Responsibility

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One of our coachees about to go for her breast screening has asked us to publish this blog about ‘scanxiety’ and how managers should be supporting employees living and working with or after a cancer diagnosis. This is an important reminder to all those with management responsibility.

Take Part in Ground Breaking Research This Summer

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The number of under-50s worldwide being diagnosed with cancer has risen by nearly 80% in 30 years but research has shown that 50% of employees are afraid to tell their employers. ‘With more than 178,000 people diagnosed this year in the UK alone, responsible leadership demands more than just compliance with regulations: it requires empathy,… [Read More]

Black Spot

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Our regular contributor, Harmer Parr, is now on palliative care, designed to make his last months as comfortable as possible. In this article, he reflects on his cancer diagnoses and treatments over the years and his palliative journey.

Palliative Perceptions

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In this second article, Harmer Parr writes about his palliative care, which is often rather misunderstood, and how he and his family are adapting to this new stage in his life.

I’ve been on palliative care for two months now. As I revealed in my last article, I was transferred for hospital to hospice. While death is a long-established taboo subject, I’ve discovered that the words ‘hospice’ and ‘palliative’ create their own frisson as well. Can friends send you a message asking simply how you are? Do they wonder if this implies the question: ‘are you dead yet? ’Well, the answer to that question is that I’m still around. I was told to ‘think months not years’ and I’m determined not to be short-changed.’

How to navigate the transition from cancer treatment to the workplace

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An article by our founder, Barbara Wilson, about how to navigate the transition from cancer treatment to the workplace recently appeared in UNLEASH magazine. ‘Cancer isn’t just a concern for individuals, it is also a risk for organizations. More and more people of working age are getting cancer, and it is high time that employers step… [Read More]

Home Straight

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WWC regular contributor, Harmer Parr, has previously updated us about his advanced cancer, Melvyn the Melanoma. Harmer is now, as he puts it, on the ‘home straight’ having been discharged from the hospital and having further treatment, and now in the hands of his hospice team and excellent GP.

Cancer Survival – Why Staying Positive is Never Enough

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Stephen Bevan, Principal Associate at the Institute of Employment Studies and an Ambassador for Working With Cancer, offers an insight into his quest to stay upbeat for those around him since his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Aorta: A Good News Story

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WWC regular contributor, Harmer Parr, has previously updated us about Melvyn the Melanoma, but in this article he shares the story of a new ‘private assassin’ – his aorta. Don’t know what that is and what it does? Read on.

Anxiety and returning to work

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In this article our Associate Genevie Isaacson, an Employment Lawyer, offers some good practice guidelines for employers to support their employees in making a successful return to work.