Almost every workplace will face this moment eventually - when an employee, colleague or friend is diagnosed with cancer.
It’s one of those situations that strips away job titles and hierarchies and reminds everyone that, at the end of the day, we’re human first.

In October, pink ribbons appear everywhere. Awareness campaigns multiply. But for those who are actually living with a diagnosis, the reality continues long after the campaigns end. The challenge for employers is not just to raise awareness once a year but to provide real, ongoing support - practical, emotional and cultural.

Cancer doesn’t arrive neatly between meetings or projects. It disrupts everything. Appointments, treatments, exhaustion and uncertainty all collide with the expectations of work. For an employee, the struggle isn’t just physical - it’s the weight of wanting to remain part of something normal while their world feels anything but.

The first and most important thing an employer can do is listen. Not with pity or panic, but with empathy and respect. Every person’s journey is different. Some want to work through treatment; others need time off. Some crave routine as a form of stability; others simply can’t manage it. What they all need is choice - the ability to decide what works best for them without fear of judgement or pressure.

As Jade, one of our directors, puts it:  ‘Support isn’t about policy. It’s about presence. Sometimes just saying, ‘Take your time - we’ve got you,’ means more than anything else.”

Flexibility matters, but so does dignity. Many people living with cancer struggle with feeling like they’re letting their team down. Simple accommodations - adjusted workloads, remote options, flexible hours - can help, but they should come with reassurance that it’s okay to prioritise health over deadlines. The goal is to keep people connected to work without making them feel like their illness defines them. Managers play a crucial role here. Training leaders to handle sensitive conversations with empathy can make all the difference. A 2023 study by Macmillan Cancer Support found that nearly one in two people with cancer don’t feel comfortable discussing their diagnosis at work. That’s not a failure of character; it’s a failure of culture.

Creating a compassionate environment starts with small things - using inclusive language, respecting confidentiality and avoiding assumptions. Not everyone wants to share details. Some may just want quiet understanding. Others may want to talk. The key is to take their lead.

Thais says: ‘People remember how you make space for them. It’s not the grand gestures - it’s the small ones, like checking in without making it awkward.”

There’s also a practical side. Employers can help by ensuring employees understand their rights and options - sick leave, flexible work policies, healthcare coverage or financial assistance. In Malta, for example, employees are entitled to sick leave and, in some cases, social security support, but navigating that system can be confusing when someone is already under emotional strain. Having an HR point of contact who helps manage those details can ease enormous stress. And then there’s the team dynamic. Cancer doesn’t affect just one person; it ripples across their colleagues too. Managers should encourage open communication - within reason - so that the rest of the team understands what’s happening and can step in with practical support. Compassion shouldn’t be delegated to HR; it should be part of everyday leadership.

Beyond individual cases, companies have the power to set a tone that normalises care. Workplace awareness campaigns, partnerships with local organisations or even small internal initiatives - such as optional pink days or donation drives - help remind everyone that compassion is part of culture, not charity.

But perhaps the most important lesson is this: supporting someone with cancer isn’t about finding the right words or policies. It’s about showing up, consistently, with empathy and respect. People don’t remember the spreadsheet that got delayed; they remember the team that stood by them when everything else fell apart.

Cancer connects us in a way that few things do. Almost everyone has a story - a friend, a parent, a colleague, a partner. It’s a human experience that unites us more than it divides us. And when companies choose to respond with understanding rather than avoidance, they do more than support one employee - they model what real leadership looks like.

Because at the end of the day, every business is made of people. And people, not policies, are what get us through.