How would you go about job hunting with cancer?
Posted by LondonPilot@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 25 comments
I’m after some advice as to how you’d handle this situation.
I have cancer. I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy. My employer has been amazing - as much time off as I need for hospital appointments, fully remote because I’m immunocompromised so want to avoid traveling on the Tube or being around too many people in the office.
Today, I found out my company has entered administration. I’m likely to be out of a job very soon.
The idea of job hunting while on chemo is quite scary. [Macmillan have some basic advice](https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/work-and-cancer/finding-a-new-job), but I thought I’d see what the Reddit hive mind has to say on the subject.
Time off for hospital appointments is non-negotiable. That works out at a minimum of 3 visits every 3 weeks (sometimes more) - each visit is between half a day and a full day, depending how many appointments I have and what time they are. But when should I raise it? Before interview? During interview? If I get an offer? What about working from home - this is more open to negotiation, but a lot of job ads say “Mon-Wed in the office, Thu-Fri at home”. I don’t really want to do that due to the risk of infection when on the Tube or in the office, but I could if I needed to - except that every third Tuesday I need to go to the hospital.
And what about mentioning my cancer in advance to job agencies? I work in an industry where most jobs are sourced through agencies. Would an agency be able to forward my CV only to those companies who are most open to making accommodations for me? Or would they just view me as high-risk/hard work and ignore me?
A couple of preemptive replies to comments I’m sure I’ll get. Several friends have said I should take time out. I need to work for my mental health - it’s just the way my brain is built. If I take time out, I will get depressed, and that will have a negative effect on my overall (physical and mental) health, not a positive effect. Secondly, I’m fully aware that cancer counts as a “disability” and is therefore a protected characteristic - companies are not legally allowed to discriminate against me because of my condition. But we all know it’s very easy to reject a candidate, or to fire an employee in the first two years, for no reason at all, and deny it has anything to do with their disability. Finally, I’m in England - I know the law varies slightly from one country to another within the UK.
Any successions would be really gratefully received!
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