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Staying On the Job After a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

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Dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis in the workplace can be very tough

As traumatic and earth-shattering as a diagnosis of breast cancer can be, life still must go on for women who receive this kind of bad news. Important personal and family responsibilities must be taken care of just like always, and for this reason many – perhaps even most – women with breast cancer will choose to continue working even while they are receiving treatment.

At the same time, the exigencies of daily life do not change the fact that having breast cancer and undergoing treatment for this potentially fatal disease is an overwhelming experience that will leave no area of a woman's life untouched, including her career. Women who plan to continue working after a breast cancer diagnosis need to be aware of all the different issues that can arise in the workplace when someone is battling a major illness. For those making the decision to stay on the job during their breast cancer treatments, strategies will need to be developed to help them continue to meet their responsibilities as employees without compromising the state of their health in any way.

Telling the Boss and Co-Workers
Certainly no one would question a breast cancer sufferer who chooses to tell co-workers who are considered friends about the situation they have found themselves in. Not only is emotional support from those who are close important for women with breast cancer, but co-workers who know the truth can certainly help cover for a friend who may occasionally not be capable of maintaining a normal work pace. Co-workers may even decide to help with the financial costs of breast cancer treatment by organizing some kind of fundraiser for their friend– although this is obviously not the reason why a breast cancer victim would choose to confide in her co-workers.

But one thing to remember is that, unlike bosses or supervisors, co-workers are not bound by any rules of confidentiality. Any breast cancer victim who hopes to keep new private affairs private should be very cautions about whom they choose to tell. Bosses or supervisors may not be close friends, but they are the ones who can help rearrange work schedules and delegate workplace responsibilities so that appointments for breast cancer treatments can be kept, and that breast cancer sufferers who need to take time off on occasion are able to do so without stress or worry. And, because they are bound by rules of confidentiality, anything they are told will be kept completely secret, if that is what an employee requests.
 

Rights in the Workplace
Legal protections against workplace discrimination have been instituted over the past few decades, and this has included protections for those suffering from disabilities. Under the rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act, those who have cancer can be classified as disabled if their illness hinders or disrupts their normal life activities, a definition that has been confirmed to encompass those in treatment for breast cancer.  Some of the accommodations that employers are expected to make for breast cancer patients who work for them include:

  • Giving time off for physicians appointments and for recovery from the aftereffects of treatments
  • Altering work schedules when necessary
  • Temporarily assigning specific work responsibilities to others
  • Allowing breast cancer sufferers to work from home


The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is the government body charged with investigating claims of workplace discrimination. Anyone who feels they have been unfairly penalized in some way because they were forced to miss some work time or change schedules while being treated for cancer can file an official complaint with this commission.

The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides still more potential protection for women with breast cancer. This legislation requires all businesses with more than 50 employees to give full-time workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off if they must take a leave of absence while dealing with symptoms or side effects of serious diseases and their prescribed treatments.

Obviously, there is no legislation that can protect those who run their own businesses or are otherwise self-employed. For those who are in this situation, getting help from family members or hiring extra part-time help may be the only practical answer.

Working and Living with Breast Cancer
Financial considerations may be the primary reason why so many women with breast cancer choose to continue working while receiving treatments. However, the psychological benefits of continuing normal patterns of living should not be underestimated. With a disease as serious and frightening as breast cancer, it can be easy for women diagnosed with this illness to fall into the trap of thinking and worrying about their medical situation all the time. This can lead to depression and overwhelming feelings of anxiety, which besides the emotional pain they cause can also interfere with the effectiveness of breast cancer treatments. Keeping a positive attitude during such a trying time is likely to have intangible effects that will help women stay strong and determined in their efforts to fight this illness, and for most people their work and careers are something that help give their lives meaning and purpose.

Related Articles: 
Fighting Cancer, Finding Peace: Strategies for Successfully Coping with Breast Cancer
I Have Breast Cancer - Now What?
Telling Your Loved Ones That You Have Breast Cancer
The Guy's Guide to Breast Cancer

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