Breast Cancer's Impact on Work

Released: Wednesday, September 9, 2009

A breast cancer diagnosis has a very big impact on your work life as well as your home life. Some people may have an understanding supervisor, a flexible schedule, and an encouraging team to support you through treatment. For others, there might be some questions about how to manage work and treatment. This article offers ways to manage the emotional, physical, and legal aspects of balancing your job and your treatment. The first question you may want to ask yourself when thinking about talking to your boss or coworkers about your breast cancer diagnosis is “Should I tell?” You don’t have to tell anyone at work, unless it is apparent that your diagnosis or treatment will interfere with your ability to work or your work schedule. Keep in mind that if you decide not to discuss your health at work, some questions may be raised if your productivity level is affected, or if you miss a lot of time at work due to treatment appointments.

You might decide to just tell some people, your supervisor, your closest colleagues, or someone you share responsibilities with.  So how do you tell them, and what do you tell them? Keep in mind that people may react differently; you may receive great amounts of support from some coworkers, while others might not be as comfortable with the conversation.

Your comfort is the most important, so do what feels right for you. Here are some things you might want to try to make the discussion a little easier:

• Have the conversation in a comfortable, yet private area.
• Assure your team of your commitment to your job. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask your co-workers for help and understanding.
• Explain that you will keep everyone posted on your health as needed.
• Discuss a possible change in your appearance due to some treatments that you may receive such as chemotherapy.

While some people choose to take some time off from work during treatment for breast cancer, others decide to work through it. If you’ve chosen to work during your treatment, let your doctor know. Your doctor may be able to schedule treatments around your working hours or give you suggestions on dealing with work stress while in treatment. Also, you can ask your doctor if any of your treatments have side effects that could affect your daily routine. Side effects such as nausea and fatigue may have an influence on daily work routines.

Sometimes, people undergoing breast cancer treatment experience thinking and memory problems.  Memory loss and lack of concentration can affect your work.  Here are some tips on how to keep track things:

• Record meetings and appointments on paper with time and date, who the appointment was with, and what was discussed.

• Make notes that include ideas you want to remember and decisions made.   If you have regular meetings at work, bring your journal for note-taking.

• List when things are due, and keep a timeline of goals met along the way.
• Keep a written schedule to help you remember your work days and days off.

Some people decide to take time off from their jobs in order to better concentrate on their breast cancer treatment. Finances may become a concern. However, there are ways to take the time off that you need and still maintain your job and financial security.

• Short-term and long-term disability programs are available to most.
• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows you to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave to heal from a serious health condition while keeping any benefits you may have and maintaining your position with the company. However, the FMLA only covers companies that employ 50 or more people. Also, you must be a full-time employee and must be with the company for at least a year.

If you plan to take time off from work, there are things you can try to make your return a little easier. Talk to your supervisor about having co-workers take on some of your workload. One of your co-workers could even act as a “go-to” person, answering questions or making decisions for you in your absence.