Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Almost half of people diagnosed with cancer use their annual leave allowance for treatment

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if you or a member of your team has been diagnosed with this or any form of cancer, it is essential to understand how to manage their employment and treatment in the most supportive way possible.

According to a poll conducted by Maggie's, 40% of people with cancer in the UK will use their annual leave allowance for appointments and treatment rather than reveal their condition to their employer. Although workplaces are often full of supportive colleagues, discussing a cancer diagnosis with an employer or manager can be stressful and overwhelming. For these reasons, it is essential to understand the basics of your employee's rights and how to move forward when they need your support the most.

If you're unsure where to start, the first thing to know is that cancer is considered a disability under the law in the UK. Every person with cancer is protected against discrimination by the Equality Act 2010 (England, Wales and Scotland) or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Northern Ireland). These protections cover employees, anybody classified as a worker, job-seekers and even self-employed people in some cases.

Establishing a supportive culture can help create the right sick leave policies with your management team and navigate each person's circumstances in difficult times.

People often look to work to continue life with a sense of normalcy and try to keep their schedules as regular as possible. Others may feel they need to take time off to process their feelings. If the illness worsens, your employee may consider taking a leave of absence and returning to their role later.

Quick tips for helping employees feel supported during treatment

• Ask how you can help them through this time in any way.
• With complete respect to their privacy, find out if they would like to discuss their condition and time off or changes to their work schedule with any other members of the team.
• Negotiate how their workload can be altered to reduce strain.
• Check-in with them regularly and, if appropriate, find out if they feel able to manage responsibilities at home. If you want to get your team member a gift, helping around the house (gardening, etc.) could be an excellent and thoughtful way to support them.
• If you plan to visit them through treatment, always give them as much notice as possible.
• Never underestimate the importance of sending a nice card.

Often, when people go through cancer treatment, they have a lower immune system, so it may be appropriate to offer flexibility with work-from-home arrangements to keep them safe if there is a cold doing the rounds in the office. Remember also that cancer treatment is extremely exhausting, and they may need to work reduced hours or have an altered schedule. Try to limit long phone calls or meetings for these reasons also.

There are plenty of ways to support staff members undergoing cancer treatment with flexible working arrangements and time off without them having to use their valuable annual leave for treatment or catch up on other responsibilities.