Macmillan Cancer Support has a set of policies to cover its own workforce in the event that an employee is diagnosed with cancer.
The cancer care and support charity is recommending that other employers use these policies as a guide to embedding best practice in the workplace.
Joan Coyle, director of central services at Macmillan, said: “Our policies serve as a model that employers can adjust according to their own needs.”
The first strand of Macmillan’s policies refers to terms and conditions. Macmillan gives allowances for sickness leave and pay, provides access to counselling and has a private medical care policy.
The second strand is focused on creating a supportive environment. Coyle told PM: “This is absolutely key. Even if an organisation doesn’t have the money to do anything else, it can do this.”
Managers are trained in how to communicate with an employee who has been diagnosed with cancer. Macmillan has also implemented a buddy system. The organisation produced a register of employees who have experience with cancer. If a member of staff would like to discuss their disease with somebody other than their manager, they can request a “buddy” from the register.
“Staff should feel supported and well cared for,” Coyle added.
The third strand relates to the law. Coyle stressed the importance of making sure that recruitment, training and promotion decisions were made without discrimination against an individual with a serious illness.
Macmillan also gives a guide to managers that serves as a “tool kit” for them to access at any time. It includes information about return to work issues, ill health retirement and legislation, to name but a few.
Coyle said this guide could also benefit an employee who has been diagnosed with cancer. “It helps them understand what to expect from managers,” she explained.
Ben Willmott, CIPD adviser, employee relations, told PM that the provision of counselling was a crucial element for employers to consider.
“This is an area where too many organisations fall short,” he said. “Counselling is a vital and confidential source of support for those making choices about employment.”