Cancer and the workplace

According to findings from the BBC, cancer patients are facing unfair dismissal and discrimination at work.

In Cancer patients' 'misery at work' Michael O'Connor suggests that a new law introduced to give workers with serious illnesses much more protection is failing.

The research demonstrates a general level of ignorance on behalf of employers and employees. That is, employers are unaware of their new obligations and employees are unsure of their rights.

The main conclusion is that employers, under the new laws, must make changes to people's working arrangements, such as time off for treatment or reduced working hours. These changes - called 'reasonable adjustments' - should ensure cancer patients in particular can return to work in some capacity. However, for many workers this has simply not been an option.