I’ve mentioned this subject before and just wondering what support other Cml members get from their employers, I’ve had 19 days off in 2 years and was recently interviewed in a warning fashion about my attendance record, which for a person of 62,on 800mg a day of Nilotinib for the last 4 years I felt let down by my employer of over 20 years, the company I work for are an employer of over 100, 000 people, I’m not asking for a green light to take time off, but with a compromised immune system I have had colds and other light illness that I have to rest to recover.
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I'm very fortunate, my employer has been excellent. I had 3 months off at the start, and returned to a 4-day week over the next few months. I never managed to get back to a 5 day week, but my employer has a good income protection insurance policy which means I get paid 75% of my salary for the days I don't work. They are also very good about not giving me any trouble at all if I need time off to visit the hospital and are understanding if I need a little more time to recover than most people after any illness.
But I think I am just very fortunate in working for a very people-focused company. When my wife was having serious complications with her pregnancy and she needed to be in the hospital pretty much every day I was given all the compassionate leave I needed - which was an extra month, as it turned out.
David.
Hi there,
If you are in the UK then as soon as one is diagnosed with a cancer you are classified as disabled under the Equality Act and employers would be wise to put in place specific measures to support you otherwise any evidence of discrimination would be punished if ever one took a case to an employment tribunal.If you work for a large organisation then HR would have in place occupational health procedures and for instance should have in place a specifically trained occupational nurse to support your needs.I would advise you to do a number of things such as requesting support from an occupational health specialist and to point out that your situation is safeguarded by the provisions of the Equality Act.In addition you need to keep full records of any possible evidence of discrimination.Finally if you need advice and help in many cities there are neighbourhood support law teams who help with free advice and would be willing to take on your case if need be.
With best wishes
John