Hi Joyce,

Thanks for writing to us.  I’m glad to hear that your employer was supportive throughout your year of treatment.  It’s great that you’re ready to return to work, but understandable that you have questions about how to approach your employer in regard to integrating your work and treatment schedules.  To address your concerns about modifying your work schedule, you may want to look into reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Reasonable accommodations are adjustments in the workplace that help employees stay-on-the-job, which may include things like a modified work schedule such as telecommuting or flex time (working the same number of hours but distributed differently over the course of a week) or changes to your workspace or access to technology.  A great resource for getting ideas about accommodations is www.AskJAN.org. Reasonable accommodations are not one size fits all and will depend on a number of factors. Please note that the ADA applies to eligible job applicants and employees of a private employer with fifteen or more employees, or a state or local government of any size. Some states’ laws protect individuals working for employers with fewer than 15 employees. One of our partner organizations, Triage Cancer, has an excellent Quick Guide to Cancer-Related Laws by State available at http://triagecancer.org/resources/quickguides.

If you have a good relationship with your immediate supervisor you may want to start the discussion with him/her, but you can go to anyone in management or HR if they exist in your workplace.

I also recommend checking out the following resources:

• Cancer and the ADA: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial/cancer-and-the-ada-fmla
  


• Working Through Treatment webinar recording: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/2016-webinar-treatment
  


• Download or order our Living & Working with Cancer Workbook: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new (offers guidance on requesting reasonable accommodations


• Back to Work section on our website: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/back-to-work-after-cancer
  

I hope this is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032.

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Manager of Progams

Cancer and Careers