We have identified that employees who are living with cancer can have many different separate fears and concerns. From our work with our cancer patients we have identified 62. This shows just how complicated it can be for employers to manage staff with cancer. Whist treatment and prognosis obviously weigh heavily on employees’ minds, other issues add to the mental strain of the diagnosis itself, including:
- Body image
- Caring for pets
- Employment rights
- Fatigue
- Finances
- Funeral arrangements
- Making a will
- Loneliness
- Looking after family
- Recurrence of illness
- Sexual function and intimacy
- Side effects
- Upsetting people
When a member of staff is diagnosed with cancer they will have a huge variety of concerns, and whilst NHS cancer care is generally excellent, patients worry about wasting doctors’ time in asking too many questions.Well-meaning family and friends can often give incorrect advice which can lead to more distress. If the individual doesn’t have someone to talk to, or feels uncomfortable discussing their concerns with those closest to them, mental health issues can arise. In fact, according to Macmillan research**, as many as two thirds of people living with the disease can develop a mental health condition, which is clearly not conducive to recovery or being receptive to treatment.
However, there is help available for employers to support their staff. Providing third-party nurse advisory services, via employee benefits such as EAPs, group risk and PMI products, is hugely valued by the employee as they are able to receive the emotional and practical support they need from an independent, knowledgeable source. This can include getting a better understanding of their condition, treatment & management; sign-posting to self help groups, therapies and counselling; support in sourcing equipment and arranging domiciliary care.
In our experience, most cancer cases (two thirds) that are referred to their third-party nurse services do so via critical illness policies – this can be offered to employees as one of a suite of group risk products that can provide financial protection as well as emotional and practical support for employees.
Most employers now recognise that during times of serious illness, providing financial support alone is not adequate and they need and want to go further. Employers that offer more holistic support services to employees are usually rewarded with staff loyalty and retention. We have seen that forward-thinking insurers are responding to this in the way they design and promote group insurance products, and so whatever size of employer you are, there is likely to be support that will be able to offer.
*Research conducted over the past 12 months based on 952 cancer cases. (Full list of concerns available).
**Macmillan’s Warning Signs Report published in February 2017 based on data collected from 1,020 adults with a previous cancer diagnosis.
