Myths about cancer lead to workplace discrimination

Workplace support for employees with cancer

Objective

The aim of the present study was to survey human resources personnel about how their northeastern Ontario workplaces assist employees with cancer.

Study Design and Setting

This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2007 to April 2008. Surveys were sent to 255 workplaces in northeastern Ontario with 25 or more employees, and 101 workplaces responded (39.6% response rate). Logistic regression modelling was used to identify factors associated with more or less workplace support. More or less workplace support was defined by provision of paid time to employees with medical appointments and an offer of a return-to-work meeting and reduced hours for employees with cancer. Factors considered in the model included organization size, geographic location (urban, rural), and workplace type (private sector, public sector).

Results

Most of the human resources staff who completed the surveys were women (67.4%), and respondents ranged in age from 25 to 70 years (mean: 45.30 ± 8.10 years). Respondents reported working for organizations that ranged in size from 25 to more than 9000 employees. In the logistic regression model, large organization size [odds ratio (or): 6.97; 95% confidence interval (ci): 1.34 to 36.2] and public sector (or: 4.98; 95% ci: 1.16 to 21.3) were associated with employer assistance. Public sector employers provided assistance at a rate 5 times that of private sector employers, and large organizations (>50 employees) provided assistance at a rate 7 times that of smaller organizations.

Conclusions

In the population studied, employees with cancer benefit from working in larger and public sector organizations. The data suggest a need for further support for employees with cancer in some other organizations.

Work problems after breast cancer: an exploratory qualitative study

People treated for cancer have reported a variety of problems at work. However, there is little data on work experience after breast cancer, particularly for women treated in recent years. This exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 13 breast cancer survivors who had paid employment at diagnosis, returned to work afterwards, and mentioned work-related problems to a clinic nurse or physician. Unstructured, thematic interviews were undertaken. Qualitative thematic content analysis was conducted to identify and group themes which emerged from participants' discourse. Women in various types of jobs reported experiencing job loss, demotion, unwanted changes in tasks, problems with the employer and co-workers, personal changes in attitudes to work and diminished physical capacity. These work problems also preoccupied people treated for cancer more than two decades ago. New areas of concern also emerged: possible positive and negative effects of learning (implicitly or explicitly) about the diagnosis while at work and lack of discussion with health professionals about work and return-to-work issues, suggesting that health professionals' behaviour may influence women's work experience right from diagnosis. The identification of these new problems and confirmation of previously reported ones underlines the pertinence of determining how important and widespread these problems are in women now being treated for breast cancer.