WORKING THROUGH CANCER Managing workplace decisions and disclosures by Tania Amardeil.

Not To Miss Working Through Cancer

Managing work-related decisions and disclosures is personal for working women with cancer. Tania Amardeil

Every working woman living with cancer faces challenging and deeply personal decisions. Whether you take time off work or continue working through your treatment, whether or not you choose to disclose your diagnosis to your colleagues and supervisors, and how you will approach your return to work – are all choices that are yours to make.

Approximately 62% of those diagnosed with cancer return to work within the first year, although they may require accommodations. Physicallydemanding jobs, changes in priorities, and the severity of the illness and treatment side effects may affect one’s ability to return to work. By contrast, factors that make returning to work easier following treatment include workplace accommodations (flexible hours, duties, and job site), having a good relationship with supervisors and colleagues, support at work and at home, tailored workplace rehab, and clear advice from one’s doctor about capabilities and limitations. Every woman’s circumstances are unique, and so every woman’s experience will be too.

For Frances Barnes of Medicine Hat, Alberta, choosing to work throughout her cancer treatment was a way to continue doing something she loves — working as a career life coach.

“I love my job and working gave me an opportunity to get out of my own head,” she says. “In some ways, it was a saving grace during COVID and cancer. For three days a week, I could listen to other people’s stories and not think about my own.” Having a part-time, flexible schedule and an online job enabled Frances to continue working and to coordinate her chemo treatment with her work.

Choosing not to disclose her cancer diagnosis to her coaching clients was a deliberate decision for Frances. “When you coach, it’s all about the people you coach”, she says. “If they’d known that I had cancer, they would’ve worried about me and thought about me, and it’s not about me.”

For other women, being open with their clients and colleagues may be the most natural route. “One thing that I’ve learned by going through cancer is that every person’s journey is personal and different,” says Frances. “Give it thought and do what’s right for you.”

DID YOU KNOW?

By law, employers must make reasonable changes, such as changes in work hours or duties, to help you do your job during or after cancer treatment. cancerandwork.ca/survivors

Congratulations on 30 years of inspiring confidence in the face of cancer.

Thanks to Look Good Feel Better’s relentless commitment, Canadian women living with cancer are more resilient and can feel like themselves again.

Look Good Feel Better has made this possible by being a comforting presence every step of the challenging way. From providing a safe space to share experiences, offering complimentary beauty workshops to enlisting the support of caregivers and loved ones.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of its inspiring journey. On this remarkable occasion, The Globe and Mail congratulates Look Good Feel Better and its unwavering network of support as it keeps making a world of difference.