Working Through Treatment

Work life doesn’t stop once you have been diagnosed with cancer. Many people have to—and want to—work during and after treatment. If you plan to continue working while undergoing cancer treatment, you can make the process easier for yourself—as well as your employer and coworkers—by using these simple guidelines to prepare yourself, employer, and colleagues.

Preparation and Communication

Know the Law

Know your legal rights—and those of your employer. Few people an-ticipate discrimination, and many don’t recognize when their rights are being violated.

Know Your Diagnosis and Treatment

Before you approach colleagues, talk to your doctor specifically about how your illness can affect your career.

• Tell your doctor exactly what your job is and any unique circumstanc-es you’ll be coping with.
• Ask for general ideas of how your diagnosis, medication, or treatment could affect your job.
• Know the specific details on all treatments and medicine. See if you can be flexible with the time you take your meds, in order to mini-mize any side effects at work.
• Ask about oral chemotherapy and other options that might be less disruptive to your work schedule.

Know Your Company

Check with the human resources department to find out how your company has handled situations like yours in the past. If there is no history, make suggestions, such as:

• A schedule with flexible hours
• A temporary shift in duties or even a whole new role within the company
• Working from home on a temporary basis

Devise a Plan of Action

Approach your boss with sugges-tions and solutions, demonstrating your commitment to your job and the company.

• Stick with clear, concise, factual information and suggestions for handling your course of treatment.
• Use the same professional skills they hired you for—organization, planning, research—to develop and present your plan of action.
• While you should know your legal rights, tread carefully when men-tioning them—alarmist supervisors could feel threatened.

Prepare Your Colleagues

Like it or not, your treatment will af-fect your job performance in some way. Ensure support (not suspicion) from colleagues by letting them know what to expect. For example, cancer fatigue is very common and can affect your ability to perform, as well as your moods, emotions, and concentration. Let them know this can happen, but reiterate your plan of action to cope with it.