Cancer

What is it?

Cancer is a disease caused by normal cells changing so that they grow in an uncontrolled way. The uncontrolled growth causes a lump or tumour to form. This can then cause problems by:

Spreading to other tissues nearby
Pressing on other organs or tissues
Spreading to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or lymphatic system

There are over 200 different types of cancer.

How does it affect people?

The symptoms of cancer vary depending on the type and extent of the cancer, but can include the following:

Weight loss
Presence of a lump
Change in bowel habit
Feeling tired all the time
Unexplained bleeding
Persistent cough

Often it is the side effects of treatment that have the most significant impact on the ability of the employee to return to work. These can include:

Pain and discomfort
Severe tiredness and fatigue
Loss of strength
Loss of function
Susceptibility to infections

How is it treated?

How cancer is treated will depend on the type and extent of the growth. Treatment is likely to include a combination of the following:

Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Hormone treatment
Other type of therapy

How might it affect work?

Most employees are likely to have a long period of time absent from work while they have treatment or recover from treatment for cancer. Most people who have had cancer are able to return to work following completion of treatment, and some may be able to return while treatment is continuing. However, their ability to return to full duties will depend on the extent of any residual loss of function, or side effects of treatment.

It is likely that the employee who has had cancer will require a longer than usual return to work plan to enable them to get back to full duties. Employees may experience difficulty performing tasks which require prolonged physical or mental effort during their return to work period. Following completion of their return to work plan it is likely that the employee will be able to return to normal duties. They may have some residual loss of function that will affect their ability to function effectively at work, but the extent of this will depend on the type of cancer and treatment they have had.

What do I need to do as the Manager?

Discuss the return to work with your employee specifically in respect of their capacity for physical and mental tasks and how they relate to work activities. Identify what tasks they can and cannot perform and the length of time that they can perform them. Where changes can be reasonably accommodated you should modify duties to enable the employee to return to or continue at work. Review the work with the employee at least weekly to identify if their capability has improved. Make sure that they are able to cope and where possible increase their workload in stages to help facilitate their return to full duties.

Key points to consider when managing an employee who has had cancer:

Focus on support; helping them to return to work as rapidly as possible
Recovery can be prolonged and improvements may be slow. Employees may require a prolonged return to work plan, and careful consideration should be given as to whether this can be reasonably accommodated
In case of an absence of more than 4 weeks, or difficulty in returning to normal duties after 4 weeks of modified duties, refer to Occupational Health for advice
A range of support services and advice is available to help the employee get back to work, and Occupational Health can advise on how these can be accessed

Points to Remember

Fit notes

If an employee produces a fit note indicating that they require modified duties, discuss this with them and consider if the modification recommended can be reasonably accommodated.

Job tasks and risk assessments

Review the risk assessment for the employee’s job role and work tasks including the ability to drive safely where required. Take into consideration any temporary modification that may be required to accommodate their reduced ability to undertake certain tasks.

General guidance

If you require further information, refer to the general advice on managing attendance.