If you exclude the time when we are sleeping, our jobs take up a significant amount of our available time throughout our lives.
Often one of our first questions to others is ‘what do you do’, it gives us a sense of identity and purpose, as well as providing an income to support ourselves financially, enabling us to also follow our interests and passions outside work.
Each of us has different motivations and sense of satisfaction in the work we choose, often it provides us with a sense of fulfilment or pride, it enables us to develop and learn new skills as well as providing a social network.
The impacts of a diagnosis and not being able to work as before or having difficulty in making a return to work can have huge effects. When we find ourselves impacted by a cancer diagnosis, being supported to work (if that’s our choice) can help maintain or restore a sense of normality and wellbeing as well contributing to financial independence.
Many cancer patients and survivors find staying at work during treatment or returning to work a struggle as they deal with cancer’s short- or longer-term side effects and in our experience, they can often feel isolated, with reduced levels of confidence and self-esteem, feel extremely fatigued as well as facing the difficulties of managing the ongoing uncertainty of their situation.
As well as the significant physical impacts, they are experiencing a plethora of emotions around what is going on for them, including shock, denial, fear, sadness, anger, guilt and shame.
In reality, we know that Cancer can have a profound effect on the person and all those surrounding them, their loved ones, friends, family, carers and work colleagues, it has a ripple effect and its incredibly important for us to take action to help protect and normalise the conversation around cancer in the workplace in order to help build positive change.
It is so important that each individuals’ experience is acknowledged and that actions are taken to positively impact health and wellbeing for our staff, colleagues and organisations.