The power of prevention | Employers aren't investing enough in 'essential' workplace cancer support

Today, on World Cancer Day (4 February), HR Grapevine is issuing a challenge to employers in the UK: Make lifestyle support and screening for cancer a bigger part of your wellbeing strategy.

The call to action comes on the back of research conducted in January 2026 by Everywhen, which finds that less than one in five HR teams (17%) plan to focus their workplace health support on serious illnesses – despite rising cancer rates in the UK.

Amid calls for employers to revisit the design of their wellbeing strategy, World Cancer Day is a timely moment for HR professionals to consider what enhanced support for illnesses like cancer could look like year-round, and how they can deliver it.

UK cancer rates will ‘continue to grow’

According to MacMillan, an estimated 3.5 million people live with cancer in the UK as of 2025, an increase from around three million in 2020.