People with cancer make a substantial contribution to Scotland’s economy, but there are many more who want to work but are held back by a lack of support.
In the UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes, but with earlier screening, more advanced treatments and better-targeted drugs, more people are living well with cancer for longer – with survival rates doubling in the last 40 years.
Many also choose to continue working after treatment – because it gives them a sense of normality, rebuilds self-esteem and provides a focus outside of cancer – and their contribution to the economy is substantial. A new report from Maggie’s and Unum, an insurer and workplace rehabilitation specialist, explores this and shows for the first time that there are currently 73,000 people with cancer in the workforce in Scotland, contributing £1.4 billion each year to the Scottish economy – a figure that will continue to grow with rising prevalence and survival rates.
But society hasn’t kept pace with medical progress. The report also reveals that thousands of people living with cancer today want to work but are encountering barriers because the right support isn’t in place for them or their employers. They describe it as the triple whammy effect: diagnosis, followed by job loss or a negative experience at work, leading to a collapse in confidence and self-esteem.
Employers can also lose out as a result, through lost talent, decreased staff morale and a negative effect on their bottom line of managing absence and replacement costs. And consequently, the Scottish economy is missing out on millions of pounds every year.
The reasons behind these barriers are complex. Despite employers’ initial efforts to support people returning to work, relationships can quickly, and unintentionally, break down. It’s vital that employers provide the right support for an employee returning to work with cancer, which includes ongoing, meaningful communication, better understanding and a carefully managed return to work.
But employers also need support – they are looking to the person with cancer to set the tone and need more guidance from them on what they need, as everyone’s experiences are different. So what can we do to overcome these barriers? People with cancer need support to acknowledge that their everyday needs in the workplace may change and to ask their employer for the flexibility or guidance they need.
There are also simple steps that businesses can take to support employees with cancer and empower them to return to the workplace when they are ready. Firstly, all employers should implement a return-to-work programme – one which deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of cancer as well as medical ones. Without one, people with cancer often feel that employer support ends as soon as they return after treatment and they are unwilling to ask for changes to their role or hours because they worry about their boss’ reaction.
Employers also need to maintain open and meaningful communication with people while they are off sick or going through treatment and use third parties to provide education and training at all levels about what to expect from someone returning to work after cancer.
Maggie’s and Unum are pooling our expertise and launching a partnership to provide support for people with cancer and their employers.
The partnership will begin with free education events at Maggie’s centres across the UK throughout 2013 and resources aimed at employers. By putting the right solutions in place, everyone can benefit. Thousands of people with cancer who choose to work could be helped back into the workplace.
For more information on the events and resources, please visit www.maggiescentres.org/workingaftercancer
• Lesley Howells, Maggie’s lead psychologist, research lead and centre head of Maggie’s Dundee