Working with Cancer at Work
Support for individuals, managers, and organisations navigating cancer, work, and the conversations in between.
A cancer diagnosis can affect far more than health alone. It can shape confidence, energy, identity, work capacity, relationships, and the difficult decisions people face about what to share, what support to ask for, and how to keep working in a way that feels manageable.
At Elevation Occ Psy, we support people and organisations to navigate these experiences with compassion, clarity, and evidence-based insight
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More than a health issue. A workplace and communication issue too
Working with cancer is often discussed in terms of treatment, absence, or return-to-work. But one of the most important and overlooked parts of the experience is communication.
People may be left trying to explain fluctuating energy, changing capacity, uncertainty about treatment, or what support they need at work. Managers may want to help, but feel unsure what to say, how much to ask, or how to respond well. Teams may not know how to be supportive without overstepping.
This is where workplace conversations matter.
This strand of work brings together occupational psychology, lived insight, and research into working with cancer and difficult conversations at work. It is designed to help create more human, thoughtful, and sustainable ways of supporting employees through cancer.
How this connects to our work on difficult conversations
This page sits alongside our Difficult Conversations offering because the two are closely linked.
Conversations about cancer at work are often emotionally loaded, uncertain, and deeply personal. They may involve disclosure, boundaries, changing needs, adjustments, performance concerns, identity, vulnerability, and fear of being treated differently.
In other words, they are exactly the kinds of conversations that shape whether work feels supportive or stressful, manageable or overwhelming.
Our approach recognises that support is not only about policies and processes. It is also about the quality of conversations people are able to have along the way.
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Our Approach
This work is grounded in three things:
Evidence-based insight
Our approach draws on occupational psychology and research into the barriers and facilitators involved in working with cancer.
Communication and difficult conversations expertise
We focus on the real conversations that shape workplace experience, including disclosure, support, check-ins, adjustments, and expectations.
Lived understanding
This work is also informed by first-hand experience of navigating cancer alongside work and study, bringing depth, care, and credibility to the support offered.
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What makes working with cancer complex?
The challenge is rarely just the illness itself. It is also the interaction between:
The person
Physical symptoms, emotional strain, uncertainty, self-talk, confidence, and changing capacity.
The workplace
Job demands, flexibility, manager response, team culture, relationships, and expectations.
The conversations
What gets said, what gets avoided, how support is offered, and whether the person feels safe enough to be honest.
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When these things align well, work can feel like a source of structure, meaning, connection, and normality. When they do not, even well-intentioned workplaces can unintentionally create extra strain.
Who We Support
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For individuals
If you are working with cancer, or trying to make decisions about work during or after treatment, we offer thoughtful support to help you navigate conversations, boundaries, and practical next steps.
For managers
If you are supporting an employee affected by cancer and want to respond well, we can help you approach conversations with confidence, sensitivity, and clarity.
For organisations
If you want to strengthen how your workplace supports employees affected by cancer, we can help you build a more inclusive, psychologically safe, and communication-aware approach.
How we can help
1:1 support for individuals
Support with thinking through disclosure, difficult conversations, adjustments, boundaries, confidence, and how to communicate needs at work.
Manager guidance and coaching
Practical support for managers navigating conversations about cancer, support needs, changing capacity, and how to respond helpfully without making assumptions.
Workshops and webinars
Evidence-based sessions on supporting employees with cancer, having sensitive conversations at work, and building healthier workplace responses
Resources and toolkits
Downloadable guides, frameworks, and practical tools to support reflection, communication, and action.
Speaking, lived experience & thought leadership
Powerful, evidence-informed talks that bring together occupational psychology, research, and lived experience of working with cancer. Ideal for awareness events, leadership sessions, and organisational learning, with a focus on communication, inclusion, and real-world impact.
Consultancy for organisations
Input on communication, inclusion, health, and psychologically safe workplace practices relating to cancer and serious illness at work