CANSA Highlights Human Rights and Cancer in the Workplace

By CANSA

As South Africa marks Workers’ Day, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) is encouraging employers, managers, HR teams, employees, and caregivers to recognise that cancer in the workplace is not only a health issue, but also a matter of fairness and practical support.

CANSA’s guide, Human Rights and Cancer in the Workplace: a guide for both employers and employees, is available for download from the CANSA website. The guide was developed to help workplaces respond to cancer with compassion, fairness and respect for South African labour and human rights principles.

It’s about dignity

Zodwa Sithole, CANSA Head of Advocacy, who was part of the team that developed the guide, says Workers’ Day is an important reminder that employee rights must include dignity, confidentiality, and reasonable support when a worker is affected by cancer.

“Cancer does not remove a person’s right to be treated with dignity at work,” says Sithole. “Employees affected by cancer may be managing treatment side effects e.g. fatigue or are unable to attend work as required.  They experience fear, financial pressure and uncertainty about their future. At the same time, employers may be unsure how to respond appropriately. This guide helps bridge that gap by offering practical guidance rooted in compassion, human rights and South African workplace realities.”

And it affects more than health

The CANSA guide explains that a cancer diagnosis affects more than health. It may also affect employment, income, family life, emotional well-being, job security and a person’s sense of identity.  The way a workplace responds can either protect human dignity and support recovery, or worsen stress, discrimination and trauma.

The guide highlights key legal frameworks that protect employees with cancer, including the Constitution of South Africa, the Employment Equity Act, the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. It also explains that employers should consider reasonable adaption before taking steps towards incapacity hearings or dismissal.

Support tailored to individual needs

Reasonable adaption may include adjusted working hours, temporary remote or hybrid work, reduced workload, flexible leave for treatment and recovery, temporary reassignment to less physically demanding tasks, or adjusted performance expectations during treatment. The guide emphasises that support should be tailored to the individual employee, their role, health status and treatment plan.

“A supportive workplace response can make an enormous difference,” Sithole adds. “It can help reduce stigma, protect confidentiality, guide reasonable flexibility and ensure that employees are not unfairly pushed out of the workplace at a time when they most need stability and support.”

Handle with care

CANSA also encourages workplaces to manage disclosure and confidentiality with care. Employees are not legally required to disclose a cancer diagnosis to colleagues, and medical information must be kept confidential unless the employee consents to sharing it or disclosure is required by law.

Practical advice

The guide further provides practical advice on supporting employees with cancer, colleagues affected by a team member’s diagnosis and employees who are caregivers for loved ones with cancer. It reminds managers that a cancer diagnosis does not automatically mean an employee cannot work, and that many people find purpose, routine and emotional benefit in continuing to work in some capacity during or after treatment.

When dignity leads, support follows

Sithole states, “Workers’ Day is not only about recognising labour rights in principle, it’s also about how those rights are lived every day, including when an employee is facing a life-changing diagnosis. When dignity leads, support follows, and workplaces become spaces where people can heal, contribute and belong.”

CANSA’s services

The guide further outlines CANSA services available to people affected by cancer, including affordable cancer screening, CANSA Care Homes, Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) support for children and families, CANSA Tele Counselling, public hospital Information and Support Desks, stoma support, medical equipment assistance, wigs and prostheses, online patient materials, support groups and the CANSA Help Desk.

Employers, HR professionals, managers, unions, employees and caregivers can download the guide and use it as a practical resource for building more informed, compassionate and legally sound workplace responses to cancer.

(For more information, please contact Lucy Balona, Head: Marketing and Communication at CANSA at email lbalona@cansa.org.za. Call 011 616 7662 or mobile 082 459 5230).