Whether you continue in work or education during treatment for ovarian cancer, or if you decide to take some time off, is a very personal decision. You don’t have to tell your employer or teacher/tutor that you’re being treated for ovarian cancer. But if you’re going to lots of appointments and it’s having an impact on your energy, telling them could make it easier for them to understand your situation and support you.
Your rights
It's important to know your rights if you've been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and you're employed or receiving an education in the UK.
- Your rights
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Everyone living with or beyond cancer is protected against unfair treatment in the workplace, both now and in the future. This is under the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland. It doesn’t matter if you have symptoms or side effects of treatment or not and the law still applies when you’ve finished treatment. It also protects you from discrimination by future employers.
Your employer is required by law to make reasonable adjustments to help you work through your treatment or return to work after treatment, as long as they know (or should reasonably know) that you have or have had cancer. This might include changing some of your duties, agreeing different working hours, and allowing time off for appointments.
Many people prefer to discuss issues with someone independent from their actual team or management. If your workplace has an Occupational Health or Human Resources department then these are the ideal people to discuss your situation with. They can represent your needs to the relevant members of staff.
Working With Cancer helps employees, employers, the self-employed, job seekers and carers to manage cancer and work.
- What are reasonable adjustments?
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There's a long list of possibilities but the more common ones include:
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Adjusting the premises to make them safer and more accessible.
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Allowing time off for appointments and recovery.
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Allocating some of your duties to a colleague or employing a support worker.
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Adjusting redundancy criteria so that it doesn’t discriminate.
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Altering work hours and/or allowing you to work from home.
What is or isn't reasonable will depend on the nature of your work. The important thing is that your employer makes considerate changes to your work role where needed, and that you feel supported and respected by them.
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- What if my employer is making unreasonable demands?
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If you feel your employer or colleague is making unreasonable demands you can get advice from a number of organisations:
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If you’re member of a trade union, you can speak to your local representative.
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If your employer runs an employee assistance programme you can use this service to speak with a trained professional about a range of issues including health and legal matters.
