On World Cancer Day today, RedArc Nurses are warning employers to be extra vigilant about the mental wellbeing of those employees dealing with cancer in the workplace. And this isn’t just for those coming to terms with a diagnosis or undergoing treatment, but for those in remission too.
Christine Husbands, managing director, RedArc Nurses said: “There’s almost a pressure on employees to jump for joy when people are told their cancer is treatable or in remission but for many there is still a heavy burden or anxiousness about their situation and this can lead to mental health problems. Employees often worry about their prognosis - whether the condition will reoccur in the future - and secondly, about what normal life will now look like. For many, a return to work is not the happy end-goal they’d been anticipating but fraught with questions about their performance and confidence.”
RedArc has identified the five key areas of concern that cancer survivors have on returning to the workplace. These worries include how their performance will be affected by tiredness and chemotherapy, whether they’ll be allowed time off for appointentments and how colleagues will react to changes in appearance.
Christine Husbands continued: “Our much-stretched NHS has neither the time nor resources to deal with the increase in mental health issues as a result of a cancer diagnosis; but unless early signs are nipped in the bud, the severity and length of the mental effects can be amplified. In many cases, it can take months, if not years, to feel completely mentally stable after cancer.”
A study last month revealed that people with cancer are four times more likely to take their own lives than people without, clearly demonstrating how the disease doesn’t just affect people physically, but mentally too. If employers really want to look after employees with cancer, it’s important that they ensure they provide mental health support during diagnosis, treatment and post cancer to ensure that when staff return to work they are in no doubt that they are both supported and understood. With cancer and mental health issues being so prevalent, employers need to seek out insurance policies that include added-value support for both physical and mental aspects.
