Take The Journey

Work may be a crucial part of your life for financial reasons. But you may also consider work to be an integral part of your identity, or simply take pleasure in the environment and people you are around each day. You may be concerned that being treated for advanced prostate cancer will disrupt your work schedule or put your job security at risk.

Advanced Prostate Cancer and Work

Your treatment may force you to put your career path into park or neutral for a while, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t return to it in full gear later on. Research has shown that many people with varying types of cancer report that being able to work full-time, particularly at a job that is enjoyable or personally satisfying, enhances their quality of life.

• They said that work helps them feel “normal” during an intense time of treatment decisions and medical care.
• Some men with advanced prostate cancer say that when treatment compelled them to retire from full-time careers, they found enormous satisfaction doing volunteer work for prostate cancer organizations or other causes.

A common reason that men with prostate cancer may stop work, either temporarily or permanently is due to treatment side effects.

• A study comparing employment factors of men with or without prostate cancer also found that 43% of men who were working at six months after a diagnosis, and who had already reduced their working hours for cancer-related reasons, reported difficulties performing at their former capacity because of treatment-related symptoms
• At 12 months post-diagnosis, however, 15% of them reported that this was still the case.

Employer Relations

Planning ahead can help you make the most of your work time, and allow your employer to also prepare for your time off or other accommodations. Set up an appointment with your company’s human resources department, or talk to your supervisors to gather information. Talk to your doctor about treatment options and your concerns about side effects interfering with work. They may have some tips to help you cope with side effects.

You can also download a copy to use as a reference here.

CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOADABLE AND PRINTABLE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR DOCTOR AND EMPLOYER

Protection from Discrimination

Keep in mind that federal laws are in place to protect people with cancer in the workplace. These include:

• the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• the Federal Rehabilitation Act
• the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• and the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act (ERSA)

A combination of some or all of these laws is intended to protect you from being discriminated against simply because you have cancer or are undergoing medical treatment. Some of the protections include allowing you to take up to 12 weeks off without risking your job and safeguarding your employment benefits if your company employs at least 50 people and you have worked for at least 1,250 hours during a 12 month period. For more information visit the Web sites:

• United States Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  (http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adaaa_notice.cfm)

You can also suggest that your employer start an at-work cancer or health-related support network, perhaps consisting of online resources or even a vehicle for connecting employees to each other for peer support.

Having a partner or family member who contributes to the household financially and is being treated for advanced prostate cancer can be a troubling prospect for you, as well as him. Even if you also work, you may face the additional pressure of juggling your work schedule with his doctor and treatment appointments, or caring for him when he feels the effects of treatment. Being as prepared as possible and understanding the rights of someone undergoing cancer treatment may help empower you and help you provide more support for him.

What You Can Do

You can join your loved one in talking with his doctor about what symptoms or side effects might be expected during treatment, so you can plan your schedules accordingly. Encourage your partner to meet with the human resources department or his supervisors at work to find out what benefits and rights are available to him as an employee with cancer. Federal laws are in place to protect people with cancer in the workplace.

Protection from Discrimination

If you also work outside the home, you may have to put up a stop or yield sign at certain times to care for your loved one with advanced prostate cancer.  But there are also federal laws that protect family members who need time off to care for someone with cancer. For example, you are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to take up to 12 weeks off if your company employs at least 50 people and you have worked for at least 1,250 hours during a 12 month period. Since this time does not have to be taken consecutively, you can plan to take days for his doctor appointments or treatments.

You may also be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prevents an employer with at least 15 employees from discriminating against you because your relative has cancer. You can find out more about workplace laws on the Internet.  For more information visit the Web sites:

• United States Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adaaa_notice.cfm)

Further, many employers will allow you to use accumulated sick, personal or vacation days to take time to care for a family member or partner with cancer.