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Sharron Moffatt: It shouldn’t take bravery to tell your boss you have cancer

Sharron Moffatt/LinkedIn

Jan 23, 2025, 14:32

Sharron Moffatt: It shouldn’t take bravery to tell your boss you have cancer

Sharron Moffatt, Mental Health Trainer at Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, posted the following on LinkedIn:

“It shouldn’t take bravery to tell your boss you have cancer. Yet here we are.

71% of employees with cancer fear telling their employer.
1 in 4 choose not to disclose their diagnosis to colleagues.
4 in 10 employees with a cancer diagnosis report facing workplace stigma or discrimination.

Nothing says ‘team spirit’ like fear of stigma. I get it. I’ve been there. The fear of being treated differently (or not at all) is very real.

Here’s the reality:

1 in 3 employees will be directly or indirectly impacted by cancer in their career.
With cancer rates in under-50s increasing by 30% between 1995 and 2019, this isn’t a niche issue!

Cancer awareness at work can’t be an afterthought—it has to be part of the plan. If we can talk about mental health, the menopause, and hybrid working, we can talk about cancer.

It’s time.

See link in the featured section to schedule a conversation and explore how I can help your leaders become more cancer-aware, supportive and informed workplace.”

cancer cancer awareness cancer in under-50s Cancer Support employee well-being mental health OncoDaily Oncology public health Sharron Moffatt workplace inclusion workplace stigma

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