Talking to Bosses and Coworkers

Know your rights, plan ahead

Getting back to work can be very important to you, not just for income but also for your sense of purpose and daily routine. Some people are able to work during treatment with INTRON® A. Some need to change their work hours or job duties, or take a leave of absence.

According to the National Cancer Institute, a good way to start your workplace planning is:

  • Find out your employer's policies about sick leave and personal leave, flexible schedules, and work retraining.
  • Talk with your health care team about the demands of your job; discuss how treatment might interfere with these.
  • Find out your legal rights and the rights of family members who may have to care for you. Visit the U.S. Department of Labor Web site for more information.
  • Call the Job Accommodation Network, a free service that can help you and your employer make special arrangements to meet your needs: 1-800-ADA-WORK

It's your very personal decision who to tell about the cancer and how much to say. However, keeping cancer a secret in the workplace can be hard, especially if:

  • your schedule changes a lot
  • your mood, eating habits, or appearance change
  • your energy level drops noticeably

Fatigue (tiredness) is the most common side effect seen with cancer treatment, and the longest-lasting. There are ways to deal with fatigue, even at work.

  • Try to arrange your day so you can do the hardest tasks when you have the most energy.
  • Try to schedule short rest breaks.
  • Drink lots of fluids.
  • If needed, look into learning a new job function that is less tiring (for example, become a phone delivery scheduler instead of the truck driver; move to telephone customer service, instead of standing all day doing sales).

If you feel that you're not receiving fair treatment at work and you cannot fix the problem, you can contact:

  • the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  • your state's civil rights agency (look in the Government section of your local phone book)

The EEOC has a National Contact Center to assist you with workplace concerns. If you want to file a legal complaint, they can help you. You can also hire a lawyer to help with your complaint, but it is not necessary.

National Contact Center
1-800-669-4000
8 AM to 8 PM, Eastern Standard Time

Questions and answers on talking about cancer in the workplace

Q:

Who should I tell?
A:

You'll probably need to talk to your boss and anyone who works closely with you who will be affected by changes in your work routine. If you have concerns, you may want to start with someone in Human Resources or the Personnel Manager and ask them to guide you.
Q:

When should I tell?
A:

You may want to wait until your doctor is able to tell you about treatment schedules and side effects, so you know more about what will need to change at work. Your health care team may be able to help you by setting up treatments when they'll have the least impact on your job (for example, scheduling in-office doses of medicine at the end of the work day). You can show your commitment to your company and coworkers by helping to plan ahead and offering solutions.
Q:

What should I say?
A:

Try starting by telling the people who need to know about:

  • your diagnosis
  • the treatment plan and how it might affect you at work
  • how much you expect to be away from work
  • how you plan to help make sure your job is covered while you are in treatment

Try to answer people's fears and misunderstandings. For example: Cancer does not spread from one person to another. Other people's jobs will not become harder because of your condition.

You may want to talk about your feelings with some people at work. However, you should also feel free to tell people that you want to focus on your job and not talk about other things.

Fatigue
A condition marked by extreme tiredness and inability to function due to lack of energy. Fatigue may be acute or chronic.