Tips on Talking to Your Work Colleagues and Employer About Your Breast Cancer

When you first receive your diagnosis of breast cancer naturally a million and one things will run through your mind - As well as trying to come to terms with the news, getting all the relevant information about your diagnosis and treatment, you may wonder how to tell your loved ones, and if you are in employment, your employer and work colleagues too. 

Potentially you may feel overwhelmed as you begin to process this life-changing news and you might need to take a step back to deal with one thing at a time.

Your top priority is to understand your treatment, once you have processed and understood this then everything else can be dealt with, one step at a time. A helpful suggestion is getting a handbag-sized notepad so you can start putting lists together, make a list for your lists if you like?  Lists are great as they give you a focus as well as something visual to see how much you have achieved and then you can figure out what is outstanding. 

Everyone’s priorities are different. For some, their work is the centre of their lives and they feel lost without it. For others, it simply is a means to an end. 

No matter what role you play in your work, or what position you hold the symptoms of breast cancer and the side effects of treatments are likely to reduce your ability to work, unless you are wonder women which of course, you are not, even though many of us think we are - changes may need to be made.

For some, these changes are temporary but for others, they may be permanent. You may need to change your work pattern for instance or even work from home. 

Deciding if or how to tell your employer and colleagues about your diagnosis is a personal choice of course however honestly is usually the best policy. How or when you decide to approach it will depend on a variety of factors, such as what accommodations you may need to do your job, what kind of relationship you have with your manager and colleagues already, and how much information you wish to share.

The first question you may want to ask yourself when thinking about sharing something so personal is “Should I tell?” In truth, you do not have to tell anyone at work, unless it is apparent that your diagnosis or its treatment will interfere with your ability to work or will affect your normal working schedule. However please 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 appointments. These things are likely to be noticed.

If you do decide to tell all or some of your team then please keep in mind that people may react differently; you may receive great amounts of support from some, while others might not be as comfortable with the conversation and remain quiet, this may be because they don’t know what to say and therefore say nothing, you may need to accept that everyone is different.

Here are just a few things you might want to try to make the discussion a little bit easier:

Have the conversation in a comfortable, yet private area.

Talk to your colleagues in smaller groups. One to three people perhaps will make the conversation easier.

Assure your team of your commitment to your job. Explain that you will do everything in your power to do the best job you can. For example, you can ask someone to handle your duties when you are not at work and you’ll follow up when you return.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Explain that you may need some flexibility in your schedule and support in some projects.

Explain that you will keep everyone posted on your health as needed. Allow colleagues to ask some questions about your situation — most likely, they care and want to help. 

Discuss a possible change in your appearance. You may experience hair loss, for example, if you’ll be having chemotherapy treatments.

But the most important thing to remember here is that you need to feel comfortable. Share what you feel needs sharing and point out that your privacy is to be respected. If you are open and honest then those around, you will be too. 

And then, that is another tick off your list, one more accomplishment achieved by you.