Returning to work

Hi

I've tried to work as much as I can the whole way through my cancer treatment and although I've now been furloughed due to coronavirus, I'm struggling with the fact that beforehand I was 4 weeks away from returning to normal ie coming up with a plan to get back to a job I love.

Sadly, my second concern is that as much as people at work have tried to be supportive, my manager has also really upset me. It's been an emotional rollercoaster for both of us. I am now wary (would almost go as far as saying terrified) about sitting down together and working out a return to work plan. I feel this way because when I was working out reasonable adjustments with my manager and HR, I was so emotionally distressed (plus the fact that I generally struggle to voice my needs anyway with people as a result of a previous abusive relationship) that just went along with the reasonable adjustments made for me. When I finally stated what I actually wanted, my manager got angry with me. 

Any tips from anyone about a return to work meeting?

Thanks

  • Hi Coll0042,

    This sounds like a tricky situation and I can understand your concerns. It's of course important that you're able to voice your thoughts and to understand any decisions or considerations that your employer has, so it may be helpful to take some time to write down what it is you'd like to get from the discussion and your thoughts on your work and what you feel you can offer moving forward. This may help as a reference point during the meeting so that you can stay on track.

    Also, Macmillan have specialist employee advisors on their helpline who are trained to help with these sorts of situations and questions so it might be worth taking a look at that here.

    If anyone else here has any experience or advice to offer then hopefully they'll be along soon (my reply will boost your post so more people will see it).

    Wishing you all the best with this,

    Ben
    Cancer Chat Moderator