Work and cancer

Each year over 100,000 people of working age are diagnosed with cancer. Whether you are an employee, carer, business or health professional, we can provide support and information about work and cancer.

There are 700,000 people of working age living with cancer in the UK, and another half-a-million people juggling jobs with looking after someone with cancer. And yet, through no fault of their own, very few businesses know about the support available or have staff on-hand with the expertise to help. Even the smallest business is likely to be affected by cancer in some way. But no matter what questions you have – or how small your organisation is – Macmillan can give you the answers you need.

Not all businesses require the same support when it comes to managing an employee affected by cancer. Depending on your business’s size, it’s likely you’ll have different needs. Macmillan understands this. In fact, we’ve done research into it. And whether you’re a small organisation or not, Macmillan know how to help.

Sally Millington, fundraising manager says, 'After speaking to many businesses, we heard the same questions come up over and over again. ‘How can I keep the business going if a member of the organisation has cancer?’ ‘What are my legal obligations as an employer?’ ‘How can I help a closely-knit team with bereavement?’ If questions like this ring true with you, Macmillan can give you advice every step of the way.

'Sometimes it may fall to senior staff to find out what support people affected by cancer need. But without the experience of managing someone affected by cancer, you might not know where to turn for advice or how to give the best support possible. And if you’re short of time and don’t have a Human Resources department behind you, getting answers to your questions can seem difficult.

Macmillan wants it to be as easy as possible for you to find answers about work and cancer. So we’ve taken all we’ve learnt and developed brand new resources with the needs of people like you firmly in mind. This includes The work and cancer online tool|,which provides quick and expert answers to your questions. You can also use the tool to order vital resources, such as our new DVD for employers and The essential work and cancer toolkit.'

As you can imagine, if someone has cancer, more often than not they’ll need time off work. But this isn’t always the case. Some people are able to work through treatment and, what’s more, would rather do so. Going to work every day can help with their self-esteem and recovery, not to mention their financial needs and the sense of normality it restores.

If someone at work is affected by cancer, it goes without saying that you’ll want to do the best you can for them. But did you know that what’s best for them is also best for the business? Quite simply, helping people back into work makes good business sense.

If you are supporting someone affected by cancer at work, get quick and expert answers to your questions by calling 0808 808 00 00 or visiting our support for small businesses area of our website|.