Cancer and work: Less than half of managers know how to offer support

Barely half of managers (47%) would feel confident putting in place reasonable adjustments for a colleague with cancer, a study has found.

Equally worrying, the poll of 566 UK line managers and 112 people who have or have had cancer for health provider Working To Wellbeing, found this low figure fell further among younger managers. Only 40% of those aged under 35 also said they felt confident about being able to put this sort of support in place.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given this, only slightly over one in three employees with cancer or who have had the condition (36%) felt satisfied they received reasonable adjustments to their job to manage their health.

This fell even lower among women, with just 33% of women versus 39% of men, and lower again among older workers (25% of those aged 55+).

Drilling down, only 29% of employees with or who have had cancer said they felt satisfied with the physical workplace modifications they had been offered. Similarly, only 34% were satisfied with the job redesign offered (37% of men versus 31% of women).

When it came to offering flexible working, the figures were slightly better, but still low overall. A total of 42% said they had been satisfied with the flexible working support offered and 28% satisfied with the coaching offered.

Just one in four line managers (23%) said they would proactively explain to a colleague with a long-term health condition, such as cancer, their rights at work according to the Equality Act 2010, the survey also found.

The charity Macmillan Cancer Support estimates there are currently three million people living with cancer, of which 890,000 are of working age.

Equally, research by the think-tank Policy Exchange has estimated that the cost in loss productivity of cancer survivors who were unable to return to paid work in the UK was £5.3bn in 2010 alone. This will only rise if, as expected, the number of people in the UK with cancer rises to 3.5 million by 2025.

Dr Julie Denning, managing director and chartered health psychologist at Working To Wellbeing and chair of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association, said of the findings: “The growing incidence of cancer in the workforce is a risk that employers cannot afford to ignore or they will no doubt be faced with reduced productivity, low retention, poor morale and increased costs.

“As well as making business-sense to take the front-foot, employers have a legal obligation via the Equality Act 2010 to support employees with disabilities, including those diagnosed with cancer, ensuring reasonable adjustments are made for them at work.”