Cutting through the noise: How to support employees with cancer

By Colin Hawes, Head of Group Income Protection Claims and Medical Underwriting at Generali Employee Benefits UK

It’s generally a given that employers should do all they can to support employees diagnosed with cancer. The reality, however, is that support can vary hugely from one company to another.

Although there’s a vast amount of generic guidance out there from charities, government and NHS sources, the experience of employers is that it’s fragmented and not always relevant to individual circumstances. Moreover, their role is ill-defined.

It seems the only certainty is that laid out in the Equality Act 2010 with regards to making ‘reasonable adjustments’ for disabled employees. Whilst individuals returning to work following cancer treatment might not consider themselves disabled, it’s likely that many would fall within the auspices of the Equality Act’s definition, namely: ‘You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities’.