Going back to work after being diagnosed can be a daunting time, especially when you don’t know how to break the news to your colleagues and employer, or if you should tell them about it.

Telling your colleagues and manager about your cancer is a personal choice – some people find that keeping it private could help keep that one area of your life ‘business as usual’.  However, you might have to take some time off whilst you have your treatment, or the effects of cancer treatments (hair falling out) could become apparent, which could make it impossible to keep it secret from everyone.

Telling your colleagues about your cancer can help them understand what you’re going through and think of ways to support you.  Watch our video on Confidentiality and colleagues to hear how other people have been affected by this situation.

If you’re worried about telling your boss about your diagnosis, read our guide to talking to your employer about your cancer.  You can also watch our video on how other people broke the news, and how their managers responded.

If you need to speak to someone about breaking the news to people you work with, give our support team a call for free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday 9am – 8pm).

Cancer Talk Week is running all this week to Sunday 29th January.