Considering the impact of a cancer diagnosis on colleagues and the wider team is vital. These guidelines can help. 

Key takeaways

• Be led by the employee on what they want to communicate and how, and respect their privacy

• If the employee doesn’t want anyone to know about their diagnosis, agree how to handle conversations about possible changes in their working patterns or appearance

• If they do want colleagues to know, make a clear plan, be specific and prepared, and only share exactly what has been agreed. Do not speculate or offer false reassurances to team members. 

• Support team members by acknowledging any past experience with cancer as well as anticipated changes in workload or responsibilities. Check in frequently as their feelings might change over time. 

When someone on your team is diagnosed with cancer, it can have far reaching impacts, including on colleagues, and you have a duty of care to both parties. As a manager, you will need to carefully consider this impact, including how you communicate with your team, adapt over time, and choose to support the person with cancer. This article offers guidance on what to do, what not to do, as well as some practical tips and advice. 

Always be led by the employee

If there is a golden rule to managing your wider team in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, it is to be led by the employee in question and respect their privacy. Some people choose to keep their diagnosis private and don’t wish any information to be shared, others may want to share the news themselves, and others may ask for your support in sharing the information.

Before sharing any information about an employee’s diagnosis, you need their specific permission to do so. There is legislation that protects their personal data under GDPR regs, and you need the employee’s consent to share this with anyone.

What if your employee doesn’t want the wider team to know about their diagnosis?

You must respect their wishes. However, you may want to agree on what to say to the wider team if or when they are absent from work, or if there are visible impacts of their cancer treatment and/or its side-effects. Be prepared for this preference to change – a team member may initially feel they are not ready to share their diagnosis, but later on they may decide they wish to.  

There may be times that a risk assessment is necessary or action needs to be taken that affects the individual’s role or duties. In this case, a conversation with the employee, balancing your legal duties with their communication wishes to find mutual agreement, is needed. In these cases, always be clear who needs to know what, and why. And gain the employee’s permission before sharing any information.

What if the employee asks you to share the news of their diagnosis with the wider team? (Dos and Don’ts)

Do agree on exactly what information will be shared and in what format, i.e.,  through a group email, a whole team meeting or one-to-one meetings. 

Don’t assume that everything the employee with cancer has shared with you is to be shared with the team.

Do ask the employee if they wish the communication to be made at a certain time or on a particular date (they may or may not want to be at work at that time).

Do share only the information agreed with the wider team in the exact format agreed. 

Do work with the affected employee to prepare answers for some of the questions that team members might ask (if permission is given). Examples might include:

• What kind of cancer is it?

• What is the plan for treatment?

• Will the person be off work?

• What will happen to their current projects/work/responsibilities?

• Can I contact the person myself? 

• What can we do to support? 

Don’t attempt to answer questions from team members unless you are certain of the answer, and it is within the scope of what has been agreed with the affected team member. 

Do remember that it’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know’. ‘Will they be okay?’ is often one of the hardest questions to field from team members. The honest answer is usually that you don't know, and it's okay to say that. 

Don't speculate or offer false reassurances, and don't attempt to answer questions about prognosis at all. 

Do redirect to what you do know: that the employee is being supported, and that you will share updates as and when agreed with them.

How to support your team members 

The news of a colleague with cancer may be distressing for team members to receive, and it may be that they need some time and space to let the news sink in. You may find that team members are affected more significantly if they have had their own experience of a cancer diagnosis – either themselves or someone close to them. Remember, you may not be aware of this history.

Offer support to all of your team members, invite them to share any questions they have, which you can discuss with the affected employee at a later date and potentially feed back on. Signpost team members to any other support you have in place (for example, EAP or Mental Health First Aiders). 

If the employee's absence or reduced hours means work needs to be redistributed, be transparent with the team about this. Keep any changes temporary where possible, acknowledge the additional load, and review regularly. Unspoken workload changes can create resentment, which then creates guilt, and neither is helpful for team morale or for the affected employee.

Remember: a cancer diagnosis is not a fixed or certain situation – this means the impact on colleagues may also change over time. Be willing and ready to revisit conversations with the wider team, always checking first with the affected team member if you are sharing further information. Build in regular check-ins with the wider team, not just at the point of announcement. How colleagues feel after a week may be very different to how they feel after three months.

Summary 

• If your employee doesn’t want the wider team to know about their cancer diagnosis, you must respect their wishes

• If they do want the news shared, agree the details of this with them and prepare answers to questions the team might ask. Never speculate – it’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know’

• Offer support to all of your team members and be clear about how work will be redistributed
  
  

How can you and the wider team support your team member with cancer?

Often team members will want to help their colleague or do something specific to support them. This is often very welcome, but at times can also be distressing for the affected employee to be seen as someone who is in need of support. Run any ideas past them directly before taking any action. Some ideas for positive action include:

• Fundraising for a chosen charity linked to the person’s diagnosis

• Building awareness on the type of cancer that the person has been diagnosed with

• Collecting money or gifts to support the employee and their family during treatment

• Sending messages with team and/or work updates if the employee is absent for a period of time