Problems at work

Whether you’re living with or after leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, or any other type of blood cancer:

• Cancer is automatically recognised as a disability from the point of diagnosis, even if your symptoms are not currently affecting you. This means that you are protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010 (in England, Scotland and Wales), and by the Disability Discrimination Act (in Northern Ireland).
• These discrimination laws can help you if you feel you're being unfairly treated at work, or if your employer is unsupportive after finding out you have blood cancer.
• Going back to work, finding a new job or being self-employed can be hard when you have blood cancer, but there are things you can do to make it easier to change roles, retire, or manage your career.

Contact our Support Service on 0808 2080 888 or [email protected] to discuss your situation at work, or any other concerns you might have.

It's important to know that as someone who’s been diagnosed with cancer, the law protects you from discrimination at work. You're protected by the Equality Act 2010 (in England, Scotland and Wales) and the Disability Discrimination Act (in Northern Ireland).

In the videos below, Simon Allen from Acas explains how the disability discrimination laws can help if you're being treated badly at work:

If you’ve had to have time off for treatment or to help you manage your symptoms, you may find the thought of going back to work quite daunting. This might be especially true if you’re returning to a different working environment, such as starting a new job or beginning to work from home.

There are some things you can do to boost your confidence and self-esteem:

• Know your rights – You’re protected by the law against discrimination from the time you are diagnosed with blood cancer, even if you don't have any symptoms.
• Access the help that’s available – Ask your work about training, special equipment or back-to-work support. Look into the access to work scheme, the National Careers Service or ask about support from your trade union if you have one.
• Look after yourself – Take care of your mind and emotions and read our tips on managing fatigue.
• Ask for reasonable adjustments - You are entitled to suggest any reasonable changes to your role that would help you do your job safely and look after your health and wellbeing.

If you’re worried about needing to take more time off to attend appointments, you could try asking your hospital to schedule your treatment or check-ups around work. This could help to minimise any disruption to your usual schedule, and might be useful if you don’t want to share news about your diagnosis at work. Bear in mind that it might not be possible for the hospital to do this.

If you do need to take time off work to attend appointments, your employer has a duty of care towards you and should allow it. Speak to your HR team if you have concerns about getting paid or using annual leave for medical appointments, as they can let you know what your organisational policy is.

Acas has more advice about taking time off work for medical reasons.

If you don't feel it's safe to go back to your workplace, or you don’t feel ready or well enough to work yet, there are things you can consider doing to delay your return:

• using some of your annual leave to take paid time off
• asking for unpaid leave so you can delay your return for a while longer
• finding out if there are other types of leave you could take, like parental leave if you look after children.

If you don’t want to return to work at all and are worried about your job or finances, contact Acas (Helpline: 0300 123 1100)

Some people decide to stop working after a cancer diagnosis, or want to reduce their hours and focus on other things like family, hobbies, studying or volunteering.

Whatever your situation, other people living with blood cancer say that changing their approach to work – or starting a new job or career – has made a positive difference to their lives.

If you're wondering whether you could take redundancy from your role, watch our video below on what this could mean for you.

You shouldn’t be pressured into taking redundancy, and your employer can’t make you redundant just because you have blood cancer. Learn your rights at work, and get legal advice if you’re worried about anything. Citizens Advice and Acas provide relevant support and information for free, and you can contact them by telephone or email.

If you do choose to take voluntary redundancy, or you just want to stop working for a while, check what benefits you might be entitled to whilst you’re unemployed.

You might be eligible for certain financial support from the government, and there are other types of financial support available too, like one-off cash grants or help paying bills. See the benefits and grants section on the managing your money page for more information.

Looking for a new job when you have blood cancer, or after you’ve had treatment for blood cancer, can be stressful. Lots of people are unsure when or whether to disclose their medical history to a new employer. You may also be worried about harming your chances of getting a job offer if you do tell a hiring manager about your diagnosis.

Having any kind of cancer is considered to be a disability under the Equality Act 2010 (in England, Scotland and Wales) or the Disability Discrimination Act (in Northern Ireland), which means that employers can’t discriminate against you if you tell them you have blood cancer. This applies whether you are in remission, on active monitoring, having treatment, or are living with chronic blood cancer.

You don’t have to tell an employer about your diagnosis, but it can help. If you want to ask for reasonable adjustments at any point, or you need time off to attend appointments, being honest with your boss or HR representative can make it quicker and easier to get the support you need. You might also want to ask your HR team whether they offer any workplace benefits, such as loans, access to private healthcare or additional paid leave.

Remember, it’s illegal for anyone at work to share any details about other employees’ medical history without their consent, so whoever you choose to tell won’t be able to tell anyone else if you don’t want them to.

If you're self-employed and need financial support because of blood cancer or rising costs affecting your business, there may be benefits or other support you can get.

Macmillan Cancer Support has a guide for self-employed people with cancer.

MoneyHelper has information about support if you're self-employed.

Work and money worries can add to the stress of living with blood cancer. Many workplaces have an employee assistance programme (EAP) which may offer counselling. This should still be available to you if you’re working from home or are on sick leave.

You can also speak to your doctor, GP or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) about any financial worries you have. It can be hard to open up about personal matters like money and work, but don’t be embarrassed. It’s important for them to know how your condition or treatment may affect you financially, and how this will impact your life. They may even be able to help – for example, by trying to schedule your appointments around work, or writing a letter to your employer explaining how you’re feeling.

An occupational health specialist could also help with your conversations with your employer. Ask your workplace or your hospital if they have access to occupational health.

If you have concerns about your employment rights, seek expert advice from Acas (Helpline: 0300 123 1100) or Disability Rights UK.

Macmillan Cancer Support has more information for self-employed people with cancer.

The following pharmaceutical companies have funded this information but have had no input into the content or direction of the project: Janssen-Cilag Ltd

Read about how we work with the pharmaceutical industry.

The information on this page was checked for accuracy by the Director of Finance and the Head of People and Organisational Development at Blood Cancer UK. Last reviewed May 2025. Next full review due May 2028. We may make factual updates to the information between reviews.