Employers urged to give cancer survivors a stronger voice when returning to work

"Employees returning to work after cancer treatment must be actively involved in how their reintegration is managed, according to new research that warns current HR support structures are too rigid and often fail to reflect the lived reality of survivors. A study from NEOMA Business School, conducted in collaboration with IAE Lyon, found that traditional mechanisms such as recognised disability status (RQTH in France), reduced working hours and remote working only address surface-level needs,"

"The research, based on a two-year action project involving 25 organisations and nearly 200 participants, explored how employees navigate their professional lives after treatment, highlighting a gap between employer policies and employee experience. Professor Rachel Beaujolin (NEOMA) and Associate Professor Pascale Levet (IAE Lyon) found that returning to work after cancer involves a profound process of adaptation rather than a simple reactivation of previous routines."

"Survivors frequently report: * Persistent fatigue * Reduced concentration and cognitive changes * Altered time perception * A re-evaluated relationship with work and purpose "Returning means relearning to work," the authors note, often within a body and mindset that no longer responds as it once did. The researchers describe many survivors' time away from work as an experience of "abduction" - being abruptly taken out of their professional environment."

Traditional HR mechanisms such as recognised disability status (RQTH in France), reduced working hours and remote work often address surface-level needs while overlooking deeper physical, cognitive and emotional changes that follow cancer. A two-year action project involving 25 organisations and nearly 200 participants examined how employees navigate professional life after treatment and revealed a gap between employer policies and employee experience. Returning to work often requires profound adaptation rather than simple reactivation of past routines. Survivors commonly report persistent fatigue, reduced concentration, altered time perception and a re-evaluated relationship with work and purpose. Reflection spaces and narrative-based workshops can support reintegration and inform collective practices.

Read at Business Matters