Work and cancer

You may need to think about different things when making decisions about work. Your finances and how your treatment will affect you are usually important factors.

It can be difficult to predict exactly how your cancer will affect you. You may not be able to make a decision about work until after your first treatment.

Knowing more about a treatment and its possible side effects can help you make a decision about your work life. You can talk to your cancer doctor, specialist nurse or other healthcare professionals about how treatment might affect your work. They can give you information and tell you what to expect. Let them know what your job involves so you can talk about any particular difficulties.

You may also want to talk to your partner if you have one, or your family or friends.

You can also call our financial guides on 0808 808 00 00 to talk about any financial worries you have.

If you have cancer, the law in the UK considers this as a disability. This means you cannot be treated less favourably than other people (who do not have cancer) because you have cancer, or for reasons connected to the cancer. That would be discrimination.

There are laws that protect you from being discriminated against at work because of cancer:

• If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, the Equality Act 2010 protects you.
• If you live in Northern Ireland, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 protects you.

The legislation protects you from different types of legislation, including:

• harassment – when you experience unwanted behaviour due to your disability, which makes you feel degraded or intimidated
• victimisation – when you are treated badly after making a complaint about discrimination or harassment.

If you are self-employed, you may not have legal protection against discrimination. In some cases, you may be protected against discrimination if you are employed under a contract. This means there is an agreement between you and an employer that you will personally do work and be paid for it.

People with their own business may not be protected from disability discrimination by a customer or client.

Even if the law does not protect you, talking to people you work with about the cancer and its impact can often help.

We have more information about cancer and employment rights if you are employed or self-employed.

In addition to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and Occupational or company sick pay (see above), you may be able get other types of financial help if cancer affects your ability to work:

• Employment and Support Allowance — you may be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). This is a benefit for people under State Pension age who cannot work because of illness or disability.
• Universal Credit — if you are under State Pension age and on a low income, you may be able to get Universal Credit. Universal Credit has replaced six other benefits, including Housing Benefit in most circumstances.
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — this benefit is for people aged between 16 and 64 who have problems moving around and looking after themselves. To claim Personal Independence Payment, you must have had these difficulties for at least 3 months and expect them to last for at least 9 months.

If you are self-employed, there are a number of benefits you may be able to get:

• Universal Credit
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

You can call our welfare rights advisers and financial guides on 0808 808 00 00 for free. They are trained to help you to claim any benefits you may be eligible for.

You do not have to tell your employer you have cancer. But if your employer knows about your illness, they may be able to make reasonable adjustments. For example, this could mean time off for hospital appointments or flexible working hours.

If you do not tell your employer and your ability to do your job is affected, it could cause problems later. They may ask questions if you miss a lot of work or you are less productive.

Having cancer may change the way you feel about work. You may feel:

• angry that you might not be able to work as usual
• worried about how your colleagues or clients might react
• guilty, if others may need to take on some of your work
• worried about money
• frustrated that you might have to take time off.

Talking about your feelings can often help. You might worry that by asking for help, you are being a burden. However, people are usually pleased to be asked and are able to support you. It can be difficult to know who to talk to and what to say. It is important to speak to someone you feel comfortable with and trust.