Supporting employees with cancer

When you look for information on managing employees who are diagnosed with cancer, it’s fair to say the New Zealand information is sparse. The NZ Cancer Society has a three-page PDF while the NZ Breast Cancer Society as a two-page version.

But with 29,000 people per year diagnosed with cancer in New Zealand, and 18,000 of them falling within the working age-range, one not-for-profit organisation is keen to talk to organisations about ways they can support their staff with cancer.

LGFB is an online and nationwide in-person community support network for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their loved ones. They support people through all aspects of the non-medical side of cancer.

LGBF runs  in-person clinics across the country along with online programs that are designed to help people face cancer with confidence, offering advice on everything from experiencing hair loss and practical tips for eyebrow application to managing anxiety.

“We ensure the whole person is cared for in terms of their mental and physical wellbeing,” said Clare O’Higgins, general manager at Look Good, Feel Better (LGFB).

“As an employer, you can feel safe knowing that the wellbeing of your employees with cancer is being looked after.”

The service is completely free, and larger organisations can organise group sessions or formally link to LGFB website on their intranet.

“To be able to have that support system in there and for any organization to be able to go ‘click here, you've got all of these free services available to you’, I think is a really important element for us to walk beside business,” said O’Higgins.

“It’s really important that HR leaders know they can access our service and they can offer it because if HR people can support their staff with something practical, other than just emotional support, it’s got to be good for everyone.”