Hi, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer last year and I have been through all the treatments and will always be in active treatment. I went back to work in September and I am finding it so hard so I put in a flexible working request to work from home instead of only working from home one day a week. They have refused me with the reason that they want my presence in the office, does anyone know where I stand with this and should I take it to appeal and a grievance as they really do not understand the impact that my cancer treatment is having on me even though I have tried to explain it. Thanks
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Hi,
Sorry to hear that you’re in thus situation. I dont know the answer to your question but do know that cancer is protected under the disability act ans your employer has to make reasonable adjustments to support you.
Mcmillan cancer have a few booklets with employment information that may help you.
Good luck x
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This type of employer attitude makes me mad. As mentioned above you have rights for reasonable adjustments. If you can demonstrate you can do your job from home, there really is no need for them to be difficult.
MacMillan a have a legal help line 0808 808 00 00 which might be worth trying.
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Thanks for this information I will definitely give them a call tomorrow 
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With respect you cannot know the reasons behind this employers decision not to sanction full time home working. It may be that the person posting holds a responsible line management job or it could be that as a well respected and valued employee, her presence is deemed critical as a role model for more junior employees.
it is always easy to show sympathy for the sufferer and to condemn employers as heartless. The OP gives no indication of her job and level of responsibility so it is hard to make a clear judgment. I do know that employers are finding life increasingly tough, especially those running small businesses and cannot always agree to home working. The best way forward is surely to find some sort of compromise as it is surely in the OP’s interest that her employer flourishes. I would also question whether permanent WFH is in her best interests mentally, but that is for her to decide.
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Sorry to hear this. I would contact this organisation https://workingwithcancer.co.uk/
And have a chat with them .
Best wishes
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My brother is a partner in a company and he works from home a lot now but he also said ( not in relation to cancer ) that it can be damaging to a team if everyone is working from home all the time . Apparently it harder for instance to assess the competence and progress of new employees - I know this doesn’t apply to you but are you perhaps a supervisor ? He also said that it can be harder to form a team / integrate new staff into an existing one when everyone is working from home . I’m playing devil’s advocate here - there may be other reasons why they want you in the office and I would say that at the very least you are entitled to a proper explanation - which they haven’t given you as yet .
As others have said I would advise contacting MacMillan and also your union if you are in one . They aren’t allowed to fire you just because of your illness but they could make it hard for you . I’m wondering if there’s any sort of compromise to be had here - they might not want to let you work from home all the time but maybe they would be happy to concede to you working from home two or three days a week instead of just the one. Xx
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I hear your comments @teddy271 and I did mention reasonable adjustments, and yes each job has its own requirements. I understand an employer sometimes has to take the brunt, but in normal circumstances a successful business is making profits, only possible by the contributions of the workforce, so it seems fair they should provide support when the tables are turned. It is more difficult for smaller companies. My husband ran his own small business for 20 years, but decided to shut it down this year for similar reasons.
My thoughts tend to go back to Covid. Many companies found a way to work from home during Covid. It was either that or loss of business. I am a manager and for the past 4 years I have worked mostly from home (from Covid, followed by a couple of other health issues), with no direct impact on my work or my department. Obviously this may not be an option for everyone.
When you are ill, either physically or mentally you need support. This type of request is made by someone who wants to work. If they can’t cope with travelling to work etc.. they will end up taking sick days.
I interpreted her comments that her employer had been dismissive, hence my initial reaction. A fair and reasonable discussion is needed.
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This is an interesting discussion and one that we don’t often see on this forum where our sympathies are immediately directed to the person who has cancer. With regard to the OP, I repeat that we don’t know what sort of job we are talking about. There are, of course, jobs where it is perfectly possible for the employee to work from home on a full-time basis, although I remain of the opinion that an emergency solution found during Covid should not be the role model for the future. People who never enter the workplace are depriving themselves and their employer of valuable interactive skills. In this case the employer has apparently given the reason that the OP’s skills are needed in the office and that does not seem an unreasonable position to me. I am sure we can agree that there is most likely a fair and reasonable compromise to be had in this instance, perhaps just until the OP’s health has improved.
Hi Em73, sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and also that you’re struggling with your employer. I have found over the years with my employer, that if I request anything (pay rise, flexible working etc) that if I demonstrate how I can be effective in a new way of working, that helps. You need to be able to reassure the employer that you can still carry out your duties effectively at home. You could ask for a trial period perhaps, to show that this is the case? You could make suggestions such as regular Teams catch ups and setting weekly/monthly objectives so you can demonstrate that you can still work effectively. That should show them that you are keen to still commit to the level of work, but that it’s the commuting you find hard. Have you asked them what their concerns are? It could be of course that they still say no, but at least you will have tried. Good luck with it anyway!
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I recently saw an @LBC legal hour with @danielbarnettlaw on Instagram talking about reasonable adjustments for someone who has a health issue and a doctors or occupational health letter that stated they should WFH. Other colleagues for a variety of reasons WFH. He said it was unreasonable of the employer to refuse if they had a health professional recommendation. Maybe contact them aswell?
I agree contacting working with cancer, MacMillan or Citizens Advice.
I hope you get some help.
