Returning to work is the top practical concern (83 percent) for employees with cancer as employment can be “a powerful anchor during recovery”.
As cancer diagnoses are increasing among working age people, data from a cancer support service shows that employee concerns about returning to work are significantly higher than their next two top concerns. The second and third biggest challenges for employees with cancer were managing lifestyle activities (65 percent) and social activities (59 percent).
The insights were highlighted in data from employee cancer support providers L&G and Perci Health, which work in partnership to provide tailored care for employees covered by their employer’s L&G Group Income Protection.
The data, from employees supported by the service in 2024, revealed that financial worries were in the bottom three practical concerns cited by 28 percent of workers, just ahead of relationship difficulties (26 percent) and difficulty speaking to children about their illness (12 percent).
Employees said that the biggest physical and psychological effects of cancer were reduced energy (91 percent) and anxiety (78 percent).
Among L&G claimants discharged from Perci Health services last year, 87.2 percent undertook the vocational rehabilitation programme, which addresses critical needs for return to work support.
The remaining 12.8 percent were not ready for this kind of support, so they were given access to a nurse and digital self-support. Perci Health said this enables open dialogue so when, or if, someone is ready to start the return to work they can still do so.
Vanessa Sallows, claims and governance director, Retail Group Protection at L&G, said: “The challenges faced by individuals with a cancer diagnosis are incredibly complex. To adequately address these challenges, we must provide integrated, specialist and personalised care, using the multidisciplinary approach; all of this built into our protection offerings. In this way, we’re not only improving outcomes for the employees we’re covering and providing holistic support, but also addressing the wider impact of cancer in the workplace and wider society.”
Kelly McCabe, co-founder and CEO of Perci Health, said: “As more working age people are diagnosed, and more people are surviving longer, therefore needing to return to work after treatment, it is increasingly important to provide good quality clinical and vocational rehabilitation.
“Employment is one of the most important determinants of physical and mental health. The long term unemployed have a lower life expectancy and worse health than those who work. Not only does it provide financial security, but it’s about restoring identity, rebuilding confidence, and reclaiming normality – work can be a powerful anchor during recovery.”
She added that the provider’s specialist-led rehabilitation model addresses not only the physical effects of cancer, but also the many psychological barriers – anxiety, low mood and loss of confidence – that can stand in the way of returning to work.
“Supporting people back into meaningful roles is central to our mission, because we know that good work is beneficial for health.”
