According to BREASTCANCER.ORG, there is a high likelihood of 1 in 8 women developing invasive cancer in her lifetime. In 2018, the number of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer is reported to reach 266,120 and 63,960 new cases, respectively.

The survival rate of breast cancer varies according to the stage and time of diagnosis. Early diagnosis can significantly improve survival rate with prompt treatment.

According to National Cancer Institute findings:

  • 5-year relative Survival rate of stage 0 and 1 breast cancer patients is close to 100 percent.
  • The 5-year relative survival rate for stage 2 breast cancer is around 3 percent, and for stage 3 it’s around 72 percent.

Breast cancer is a serious condition, which can be treated if diagnosed early. If you have employees who are dealing with this disease, make things easier for them. You can create awareness and introduce cancer specific policies in your organization to play an important role in the fight against cancer.

What Can A Company Do For Awareness?

Conduct awareness seminars

Seminars on important health issues like smoking, obesity, heart condition, and cancer should be a part of your employee wellness program.

Educating your employees with signs and symptoms of breast cancer will help in early diagnosis, and prove to employees that you are vested in their healthcare.

Make mammograms a part of your health program

Mammogram is an essential test that determines the incidence of cancer. Promoting and educating your employees about their use will make diagnosis easier. Mammograms can be a costly affair; you can sponsor annual breast cancer screening for your employees at the workplace. This will save time and money and promote early detection.

Your company can also partner with different healthcare institutes that provide discounted mammograms for your employees. In addition to this, insurance companies can also be contacted.

Since you’re investing in early detection and reducing the risks involved, you can negotiate a lower insurance premium for employee healthcare plans.

Sponsor a fund-raising event or exercise class

A well-established wellness program provides employees with essential tools to make them healthy and efficient.

You can conduct a yoga class for promotion of healthy lifestyle. Moreover, in collaboration with a cancer organization, you can conduct a breast cancer awareness fund raiser. All these small activities have a significant impact of your employees, therefore allocate appropriate funding.

Respect their privacy

Dealing with cancer can be overwhelming; according to the law, an employee is entitled to his/her privacy on the disclosure of life-threating diseases. Even if an employee steps forward with her case, be respectful, and don’t share their diagnosis with the staff without permission.

Accommodate their treatment plan

Breast cancer treatment takes a long time, and the side-effects of the treatment can leave a person dealing with nausea, fatigue, dizziness, etc. Provide them a flexible schedule for work; make their work desk more comfortable and accessible; introduce remote working plans for them.

Involve the HR

HR can help by creating awareness among colleagues and educating people about fair treatment. Apart from this, HR plays an important role in providing medical insurance and rehabilitating cancer patients back in the workplace.

Cancer, a long-term plan

The last chemotherapy does not mark the end of cancer. Cancer patients take time to recover from the treatment.

Keep this in mind when assigning workload. In addition to this, make efforts to keep them engaged.

Back to work

Adjusting back into the work routine can be difficult, as the treatment takes a toll on a person’s physical and mental health.

Empathize and show compassion by providing a supportive work environment and job security.

Is your workplace missing an employee health and wellness program? Call (877) 355-6070. We – at JS Benefits Group – can help you design a health and wellness program according to your business needs.

Our program is equipped with technologically advanced dashboards that help employees manage task as well as, remind them of a doctor’s appointment. Get a quote now to keep your employees happy, healthy, and productive.