After people have finished their cancer treatment they often expect to return to their old way of life and go back to work straight away. Their family and friends may share this feeling. However, everybody reacts differently, and some people may feel tired for a year or more after their treatment. It is very important to look after yourself at this time, and not push yourself or pretend (to yourself or others) that you are fine when really you are not.
Cancer can have a powerful emotional effect as well. Many people find they need to take a few months after their treatment is finished to adjust to what has happened and rethink what they really want to achieve in life.
Because of this there is tremendous variation in how quickly people return to their jobs. Some can’t wait, since to them it represents a major step on the road to a normal life, and is a sign that they have overcome the cancer. Some people have no choice but to start earning money again as soon as possible. Other people find that their priorities have changed and they need time to rethink their lives. Some people, of course, manage to continue working throughout their treatment. The effects of treatment on your physical condition will understandably have a strong influence on your decision.
However, for many people the return to work is a major milestone in their recovery: it signals a return to how they lived before their illness, helps to distract them from any worries they may have about their health, and brings structure and security back into their life.
If you took a substantial period of time off work, this is the time to check what effect, if any, it has had on your pension contributions. Your employer will be able to let you know.
Before returning to work, it is worth considering how you would like to deal with your colleagues. Some people going back to work after cancer can feel disappointed and isolated when colleagues behave as if nothing has happened and do not even mention their illness. However, this is more likely to be due to embarrassment or uncertainty about what to say than lack of interest.
Cancerbackup has a section on talking about your cancer which you may find helpful.
It is helpful to prepare yourself for the fact that some well-intentioned employers might suggest lighter duties or early retirement because they genuinely think it will be what you want. If it is not what you want, you should feel free to say so.
Many companies provide an occupational health service for their employees which can offer support in various ways to people returning to work. Some are able to rearrange work times to avoid stressful times such as rush hours. Sometimes part-time work can be arranged at first, to ease you back into your job. Occupational health departments may also offer counselling, both before and after your return to work, which is entirely confidential.
An employer who believes that a person’s absence from, or irregular attendance at, work is having a negative effect on the organisation can dismiss that person if the employee is not capable of doing the work for which he or she was employed.
Dismissal for this reason can be taken to an industrial tribunal if the employee has worked for the employer for one year continuously.
However, under the Disability Discrimination Act 2002 employers may have to justify the dismissal of a person with cancer on health grounds. Employers will have to ensure that any such employees are not disadvantaged compared with their colleagues.
If you are worried that you might lose your rights to a full-time job, contact your personnel officer, local Citizens Advice Bureau or local neighbourhood Law Centre.
If you resigned when you were ill, or were dismissed, you will have left the company pension scheme on the day of your departure. The pensions officer of your ex-employer should give you some information about how much money is held in the scheme and what your pension options are in the future.