Enabling Employees With Cancer to Return to and Stay in Work

For those born after 1960, there is a 50% chance of getting cancer.  Although treatments and survivorship has improved substantially, return to work rates for people living with cancer remain very poor.  So what can employers do to support job retention and return to work among cancer survivors.  

At this year’s Health and Wellbeing at Work Week, we are delighted that the Institute for Employment Studies’ Stephen Bevan will be partnering with Barbara Wilson from Working With Cancer to address this issue.  They will be looking at what the evidence tells us about what works, why fear and stigma over cancer still stalks the corridors of business, and what we should say to cancer survivors and what they would like to say to us.  This is a great opportunity to hear from two cancer survivors themselves who have devoted their energies to destigmatise cancer and other chronic health conditions.

Barbara is ex-HR Director of Schroders and Stephen is Head of HR Research Development at the Institute of Employment Studies.  Together they have collaborated on new guidance for employers, managers and policy makers on how to improve work outcomes for cancer survivors.  As part of the Working With Health Conditions Programme on Tuesday 16 March, it will be a candid and challenging presentation of some of the truths about cancer at work and how employers can do more to help.