There are many benefits of communicating with your employer at all stages of your diagnosis and treatment. In the beginning, your human resources department or supervisor can help you understand your employee benefits and what they cover. They may be able to guide you in filling out the insurance company’s forms and can discuss how they can support you through cancer treatment. They can also tell you about ways they may have accommodated other employees with cancer. Your employer may have an employee assistance program that can give you emotional support and advise you about finances and even estate planning.
On the other hand, you may want to consider who you will tell about your cancer, when you will tell, and what details you will give, if any. To read more about disclosure, see our section Who Gets to Know: How to Exercise your Power of “Disclosure”.
