To support employees affected by cancer, as well as their employers, Fondation Cancer is organising a workshop entitled “Returning to work after cancer” from January 2025. Photo: iStock

To support employees affected by cancer, as well as their employers, Fondation Cancer is organising a workshop entitled “Returning to work after cancer” from January 2025. Photo: iStock

Returning to work after cancer is a key stage. Cancer changes people’s perception of life, prompting them to review their priorities. The psychological dimension is crucial in this transition and employers need to adopt a personalised approach to facilitate reintegration.

Returning to work after cancer is an important step, both for the employees concerned and for the organisations that welcome them. Over and above the professional issues involved, it is a human and emotional transition, in which the role of employers, managers and HR directors is crucial. How can we best support these employees during this delicate phase, while at the same time making the most of the wealth they bring back home?

Here are five essential keys to supporting this reintegration process, focusing on understanding individual needs, adapting support methods and recognising the positive changes that such an ordeal can bring.

1. Understanding personal sources of motivation

Identifying the sources of a person’s motivation is essential if they are to get back to work. It helps to sustain their commitment. A precise understanding of what motivates an individual, whether it’s recognition, a sense of achievement, career development or the balance between personal and professional life, helps to create conditions that are conducive to personal fulfilment. This is all the more important after a long period of absence, when personal expectations and aspirations may have changed.

2. Recognising individual resilience mechanisms

Every cancer patient develops specific attitudes and resilience mechanisms. Some, having actively fought the disease, may feel the need to prove their ability to get back to work, while others, having opted for structured management of their treatment, will seek well-defined processes for their return to work. Still others, having found support in solidarity, will want an empathetic and collaborative work environment.

3. Emotional support tailored to your needs

Support should be tailored to the emotional and psychological needs of patients. This process is similar to a “re-engagement interview,” where listening to expectations and motivations is essential. The aim is not only to take physical abilities into account, but also to value the skills and knowhow acquired during the illness, which are often overlooked or underestimated.

4. Valuing the skills developed during the disease

Some patients come back with a greater sense of serenity, better stress management and a greater ability to establish a balanced lifestyle. These skills, developed during the ordeal, can be real assets for the company, providing a model of emotional management for the team.

5. Making resilience a lever for collective development

Post-cancer support is thus transformed into a co-construction of new potential, both individual and collective, where resilience becomes a driving force for change for both the employee and the organisation.

This holistic approach to the return to work, centred on the individual, makes it possible to create an environment conducive to harmonious reintegration, while recognising and valuing the changes brought about by the cancer experience.

Workshop – Returning to work after cancer

Are you an employer, manager or human resources manager who wants to provide better support for your employees returning to work after cancer?

From January 2025, the  will be launching a monthly workshop entitled “Supporting the return to work after cancer.” This workshop will provide an opportunity to discover a structured method and the key points to bear in mind during this transitional phase. We’ll look at the professional, human and emotional issues involved in providing the right support.

To find out how you can better support your teams, sign up now:

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