Talking to your employer

You might worry about telling your employer about the cancer or treatment. You may be afraid that they will not support you. Or you may worry they will dismiss you or make you redundant.

You do not have to tell your employer you have cancer or are having cancer treatment. But it may help.

Many people find that their employers are supportive. If this is not your experience, this page has more information about resolving problems at work. 

It is important to know about your rights at work when talking to your employer. We have information about telling a new employer about a cancer diagnosis when looking for a new job.

If you feel nervous about talking to your manager, you can ask to meet in a private place. You can request they give you plenty of time for the meeting.

You can ask your manager in advance if you can bring someone with you. This could be a reasonable adjustment if the cancer or treatment has caused problems with communication or anxiety.

You could bring a friend, family member or colleague. In more formal meetings, you may be able to take a trade union representative if you are a member.

It may help to write a list of questions or things you would like to talk about. This could include:

• letting your manager know who at work you have decided to tell about your situation and what you want to tell them
• talking about whether you would like someone else to tell others
• discussing any changes that might help you keep working
• asking for information about your employer’s policies on sick pay, absence from work, occupational health, pensions and any other policies that may be helpful
• finding out about any support for people in stressful situations – for example, an employee assistance programme (EAP) that offers counselling
• asking if your manager would like information about your treatment to help them
• asking if your manager would like information for employers supporting someone with cancer at work.

At the meeting, your manager may ask how you are coping and what your immediate work concerns are. They may also take notes. You can ask to have a copy of these. The notes should not be shared with anyone else without your permission.

It may be helpful to write your own notes. They can help you remember what was said and can be useful if anything unexpected comes up later.

You can ask in advance if your manager would be happy for you to record the meeting. This may be a reasonable adjustment if you have memory problems or problems writing. Everyone at the meeting would have to agree to this.

Tell your manager if you want to keep working. They can then support you. If you cannot keep working as usual, they can:

• consider making changes to help you
• give you the time off you need.

You may not know what to expect until you start treatment. This can make it hard to decide how much work you will be able to do. Let your manager know that things may change during treatment. This means they will understand you may need to change work plans later.

Ask for regular meetings with your manager. You can keep them updated and talk about any changes.

If you are off sick for more than 7 days, you will need a fit note to cover your illness. This is also called a sick note or a Statement of Fitness for Work. This explains how your health affects what you can do at work. You will need a fit note to get sick pay and to claim benefits.

A fit note includes information about how your condition affects your ability to work. This helps your employer understand how they might help you keep working or return to work.

GOV.UK has more information about fit notes.

There are different ways your employer can support you at work during treatment or when you return to work. Most employers understand that it is a stressful time and try to be helpful.

Employers may make changes to your workplace or working arrangements that allow you to keep working or return to work. They may change certain parts of your job so you can stay at work. This is called a reasonable adjustment (below).

There are also other ways your employer may be able to support you. They can tell you about:

• different policies
• whether there is an occupational health service or an employee assistance programme (EAP)
• useful organisations that could help you.

It can be helpful to have regular meetings with your manager. You can talk about how to manage any problems, or other changes they can make to help you.

If you have or have ever had cancer and are in paid employment, your employer should try to support you.

Both the Equality Act and the Disability Discrimination Act say that your employer must make reasonable adjustments if they are aware of your disability. These are changes to the workplace or working arrangements that allow you to keep working or return to work.

We have more information about reasonable adjustments.

Time off from work is an example of a reasonable adjustment your employer may be able to make.

You may need to take time off for appointments and treatment. You do not have a legal right to paid time off for things like medical appointments unless your employment contract specifically states this. But if you talk to your employer as soon as possible, you can both agree on what to do.

Try to tell your employer as soon as possible that you need time off. This can help them plan. For example, it can make it easier for them to find someone to cover your work.

Your employer may allow you to have time off work in different ways, including:

• sick leave
• reducing the number of hours you work in a day or week, which could be temporary or permanent
• approved unpaid leave
• paid holiday leave (annual leave)
• paid or unpaid compassionate leave
• flexible working – for example, you could try working condensed hours over fewer days.

Your manager or HR manager can give you information about the sickness policy and other options. They can explain if different types of leave are paid or unpaid, and what you are entitled to.

Your workplace may have, or be able to provide, an occupational health adviser. You can usually refer yourself or ask your manager to refer you. You may have a face-to-face meeting or a virtual meeting.

An occupational health adviser can give you independent, work-related health advice based on your situation. They should be supportive to your needs and advise your employer on adjustments they can make to help you keep working. They can also help you return to work after you have been off for a time.

You may also be able to get more information from other organisations and services to help you get back to work.

Some employers run employee assistance programmes. These can help you cope with any personal problems that may be affecting your work. This can involve having regular sessions with a professional counsellor. Your manager or HR manager can tell you if your workplace provides this.

Access to Work is a government scheme. It offers grants and advice to help employees with a disability or health condition keep working. You can contact the scheme either as an employer or employee.

Examples of what the scheme may pay for include:

• special aids and equipment you need in the workplace
• travel to work if you cannot use public transport
• a support worker to help you in the workplace.

Visit Access to Work for more information about the scheme in England, Scotland and Wales.

Visit NI Direct for more information about the scheme in Northern Ireland.

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.