telling other people at work
Some people find it difficult to tell their work mates and others find it helpful – we’re all different. If you want your colleagues to know what’s been happening but don’t want to tell them yourself, your boss or human resources manager should be able to do this for you when you’re ready.
Sometimes, your colleagues might ask questions. For example if they see you taking time off, or they notice that your hair has fallen out. It’s easier for them to support you if they know how things are for you, for example, if tiredness affects your moods or concentration. But there are also many misunderstandings about cancer that may need to be cleared up such as:
- some of your colleagues might worry that they can ‘catch’ your cancer. Cancer can’t be passed on like an infection and your work mates aren’t at risk of getting cancer from you.
- some people might worry about being harmed if you have chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy is broken down in the body and won’t harm the people around you. If you’re having radiotherapy treatment from a machine, the radiation disappears once the machine is turned off and so you will not be radioactive. If you have internal radiotherapy, the radiation will only affect a small area of tissue in your body around the cancer and won’t affect anyone around you.
If you find it hard to talk to your work mates about any of this, then it might help to talk to your hospital team. Or our cancer support specialists could help you to find ways of handling it. You could also suggest that they take a look at the TIC website. It might help them understand a bit about your situation.
Our forum is also a good place to chat about any worries you might have.
