Returning to Work After Cancer Treatment

Sometimes, cancer can make you feel very isolated and lonely. Being around people can be a great comfort, so if you took time off work while you were getting treatment, you might be thinking about going back to work now that your treatment is finished. Before you go back to work, make sure your health care team clears you. Returning to work can give you a sense of normalcy, purpose, and routine, but it might also come with challenges.

Finding balance when returning to work

Returning to work is a personal choice. You might find that going back to work helps:

• Keep your sense of who you are
• Remind you that you have a life apart from cancer
• Boost your self-esteem
• Bring home income
• Have contact with other people

You may also want to talk with your employer about possible options like:

• Flex-time
• Job sharing
• Working from home (telecommuting),
• Other options that may help ease you back into the demands of your job.

For some people, the transition to working full-time may be easy, but for others, it may take some adjustment. You may find that you tire easily or have trouble focusing at first. Try to be patient and take care of yourself as you go back to your “normal” life.

Telling coworkers about your cancer treatment

Talking with your coworkers about your cancer and health after treatment is a personal choice. You decide what and how much you want to share with them. It’s okay if you don’t want to discuss your situation with others.

You may find that your coworkers react differently to you when you return to work. People may be:

• Understanding and offer to help
• Reminded of a loved one’s time with cancer
• Uncomfortable around you and unsure of what to say or avoid you
• Frustrated that they had to take on extra duties when you were absent
• Curious and ask a lot of questions

It can be helpful to think ahead about how you will handle other people’s reactions and what you want to share with them. It might help you to read Telling Others About Your Cancer.

Legal protections for working people with cancer

You still have the same rights as anyone else in the workplace and should be given equal opportunities, whether or not you tell people at work about your cancer. Hiring, promoting, and how you are treated in the workplace should depend on your skills and abilities. As long as you can do your job, you can’t legally be fired for being sick. You also shouldn’t have to accept a position you never would have considered before your illness.

Federal laws like the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  protect people with cancer who have job-related problems. Some people also benefit from the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This law lets many people with serious illnesses take reasonable unpaid leave to get medical care or manage their symptoms.

Talk to someone in your human resources (HR) department or another workplace expert to find out what your options are.

When you return to work 

It might take a period of adjustment and some extra help to get back to your regular work schedule. If you try to go back to a full-time schedule before you’re ready, your work may suffer. Talk with your cancer care team about your work and any problems you are having as you decide how to re-enter the workforce. You may need to:

• Start with shorter workdays
• Work fewer days a week
• Get more help to do your job

Reasonable accommodations at work

Employers aren’t required to lower job standards or provide personal-use items like glasses or hearing aids. But they must make reasonable accommodation for qualified employees or applicants with a disability, unless doing so would be a hardship. Examples of such accommodations for cancer patients might include:

• Providing or modifying equipment or devices
• Restructuring a job
• Offering part-time or modified work schedules, like permission to work from home if possible.
• Reassigning an employee to a vacant position or different tasks if they can no longer do the job.
• Adjusting or modifying tests, training materials, or policies            
• Making the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities

A vocational rehabilitation (rehab) counselor can help with some of your job-related legal questions. Some cancer treatment centers offer referrals to vocational rehab counselors, so ask your cancer care team. They may also have tools or people who can help you.

You might also want to look into laws that affect you and tell you how you can deal with any problems that might come up.

To find out more about job accommodations and employment of people with limitations, contact the Job Accommodation Network at 1-800-526-7234 or visit their website. They can talk with you about the requirements of the ADA or the Rehabilitation Act, whichever applies to your case.

Discrimination against people with cancer at work

 Even after your cancer treatment has ended, you may face workplace bias and discrimination. Tell your HR Department about any issues you might be facing. If your workplace has a union, it can be a good source of information about illnesses and the workplace.

Keep notes of your contacts with office personnel, including:

• Names of the people you spoke with
• Date and place you spoke
• Information you received
• Next steps to be taken

It’s also a good idea to keep copies of your job performance reviews and any other written information about your work. This can be helpful if problems come up later.

Filing a discrimination complaint

If you think you have been discriminated against at work based on  disability, you can file a complaint with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC). You must do this within 180 days of when you think it occurred. Sometimes, state and local laws may extend to 300 days.

Get more help and information

If you would like to learn more about asking for help as you go back to work, see the Americans With Disabilities Act.

If you need extra time off as you go back to work, you may also want to read the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Also see Additional Resources on the tab below.