Sustained employability of cancer patients and survivors: are we getting any closer?

Links between organizational preparedness and employee action to seek support among a Japanese working population with chronic diseases

Objectives

This study examined the association between workplace rules and training programs regarding combining employees’ work and treatment for chronic diseases, and actions actually taken by employees to manage this issue. These workplace measures (rules and training programs) are consistent with the Japanese Guideline for Workplace Patient Coordination and Disease Treatment.

Methods

In February 2018, we conducted an online, cross‐sectional survey of 1134 employed individuals with chronic diseases who needed workplace support to combine work and disease treatment. All participants were aged 18‐65 years and lived in Japan. We investigated associations between workplace rules and training programs (two items) and employee actions (eight items), using a questionnaire based on the guideline and logistic regression analysis.

Results

In total, 76.5% of the participants said they had reported their chronic disease to their employer (manager, personnel department, or occupational physician). However, less than half (47.5%) had submitted a written report about their job to their doctor. Employees were more likely to take action in workplaces that had rules or training programs than in workplaces without such measures. More actions were taken among employees in workplaces with both rules and training programs than in those with either measure alone.

Conclusion

It is important to establish rules to support employees with chronic diseases and provide training to improve awareness of these rules to encourage employees with chronic diseases to take action to access the support they need.

Management of work through the seasons of cancer survivorship

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Survival from cancer has expanded enormously over the past decades. It is estimated that 40-50% of all cancer survivors are of working age at time of diagnosis and thus potentially part of the labor force. The seasons of survivorship can be used as a steppingstone to describe issues regarding employability survivors are dealing with.

RECENT FINDINGS

The acute survival stage begins at the point of diagnosis. Disclosure of diagnosis, and flexibility of both employers and (occupational) healthcare professionals are important factors in this stage. Extended survival starts when the survivor has completed the basic course of treatment. Survivors become aware that the old normality at work will be difficult to achieve. Problems like fear of recurrence, cognitive, and physical limitations might intensify during this stage and affect work ability. Permanent survival can be called long-term remission. Prospective studies on work-related outcomes and work-related interventions in this stage are rare.

SUMMARY

It is important to improve our understanding of the seasons of survival and to explore concepts, such as employability, against the background of these seasons. This perspective may help both survivors and (occupational) healthcare professionals to develop better strategies for dealing with the difficult life event cancer represents in each specific stage.