Page 2 | Colleague dismissed due to cancer

user9102991 · 2025-08-27T19:35:36+00:00

My colleague was dismissed earlier this month due to a long term illness (cancer). She has been off for just over a year and is going through chemotherapy. I've never worked anywhere before where someone has been dismissed due to ill health, does this happen in most work places?

StMarie4me · 27/08/2025 21:13

sciaticafanatica · 27/08/2025 20:41

I’ve never seen it happen.
I worked somewhere 20yrs ago that kept someone terminally ill employed (although they were off sick) they paid them fully and made sure his family got company death benefits.
doubt that would happen anywhere now

My late best friends company were amazing. Full salary through the whole nightmare.

LizzyEm · 27/08/2025 21:16

Testerical · 27/08/2025 20:45

I personally think this should be banned.
It’s inhumane.
at the moment it’s perfectly legal and doesn’t automatically qualify as disability discrimination - even if it does count as DD, sometimes this can be justified by employers.

In my dictatorship (!) every employer has insurance for staff and general misfortune, and they pay out for employees who are unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer or another life-limiting disease.

Why should the employer be responsible for paying them out for getting ill?

People should take their own insurance.

Employers aren't parents or responsible for people outside of working hours, wtf.

YourJoyousDenimExpert · 27/08/2025 21:17

In the NHS, the policy is usually up to six mnoths full pay in a rolling 12 month period and then six months half pay. Once on zero pay, there is a a lot to discuss as it may be better to take retirement on medical grounds. Remaining employed on zero pay can impact access to benefits.I have experience of a team member taking 6-8 months on zero pay to complete their recovery from cancer and then eventually returned. If someone cannot return, the post can only be filled once their contract ends. It is really tough for all involved.

shuggles · 27/08/2025 21:27

There needs to be more discussion about how unwell and disabled people can be fully supported to continue working, and also how they can be fully supported if they can't work anymore.

There isn't enough discussion about this and instead, all of the focus is on benefits scroungers. There seems to be a widespread misconception that if someone is ill, then they have done something to bring it on themselves, but that simply is not true in the overwhelming majority of cases.

TY78910 · 27/08/2025 21:30

It’s horrendous when the illness is terminal and the person is receiving palliative treatment. However I’ve seen employees on long term sick, or very persistent sick when they played the system because our company policy is so generous. It made small teams miserable as they had more workload, annual leave more likely to be declined during popular periods, company would not hire a replacement as that person was taking up the role. Now imagine you have 10/20 people on long term sick, you have offered loads of adjustments, phased returns, flexible hours and they are still absent. The impact on the business from that collective is huge. It’s important to look at the whole picture and not just the one individual.

LimbOnTheBranchBranchOnTheTreeTheTreeInTheBog · 27/08/2025 21:32

Happened to me 5 years ago.

I was really unwell, (with cancer, plus everything was delayed over covid) signed off, they were really pissed off because I couldn't do all the usual Christmas events I did (over and above what I was contracted to do) so managed me out.

That same company closed this year and my ex boss was devastated at being unemployed. Shame.

DeborahKerr · 27/08/2025 21:32

Testerical · 27/08/2025 20:45

I personally think this should be banned.
It’s inhumane.
at the moment it’s perfectly legal and doesn’t automatically qualify as disability discrimination - even if it does count as DD, sometimes this can be justified by employers.

In my dictatorship (!) every employer has insurance for staff and general misfortune, and they pay out for employees who are unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer or another life-limiting disease.

I dont' disagree at all

but the only way it could be banned would be for the state to at least take over the salaries.

Maternity leave is not full pay for the entire duration, but it's protected, cancer treatment should be (on full pay). It's not a choice, and litterally what our benefit system exist for. Don't call it "benefit", it doesn't matter, but people should get their full salaries.

Mydadsbirthday · 27/08/2025 21:33

I've never thought about this but it's very worrying.

My work has a very good life assurance policy for death in service so if I died suddenly or in an accident DH and DC would be very well provided for but I guess this doesn't apply if you have cancer and are dismissed.

Do most people take out their own insurance or critical illness cover? I've never even thought about it.

Stars15 · 27/08/2025 21:35

I have occupation insurance. It gives me peace of mind. I have it delayed for 6 months to keep premiums low as I get 6 months pay with my job as sickness. If I’m still off sick after 6 months it starts to pay me a monthly salary until either I return to work or lifelong if I can’t return.
My mum had it for my dad when he was working and I was little, to give her peace of mind if he ever got sick and advised I get it when I started working too. I’ve never claimed but it’s only £15 a month and would pay me a monthly salary of £2k a month if I was sick, so worth it to me

BlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBlaBla · 27/08/2025 21:35

PauliesWalnuts · 27/08/2025 20:50

It’s 30 years ago now but the Post Office did this to my mum at 53 once she had been diagnosed as terminal - they sent an occupational health nurse to the house out of the blue. She had worked there since she was 16 (apart from a break to have two kids). She lost most of her service benefits and had to go on invalidity benefit. She had only been off sick for four months.

Edited

This is bloody awful!!!

Narwhalsh · 27/08/2025 21:35

As pp has said, recommend personal life insurance and critical illness cover. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect an employer to necessarily cover you for a long term illness and especially in a small company.

Cancer rates are increasing so I personally think it’s prudent to insure as individuals (no I don’t work for an insurance company!)

Hydrangeadangerranger · 27/08/2025 21:36

Ramblingaway · 27/08/2025 20:59

Parts of the civil service will put you on a warning for 7 days sick, and ramp up quickly from there. They don't give a stuff why you are sick.

The depts of the CS I’ve worked in have bent over backwards to support people… I’m sad to hear that

jay55 · 27/08/2025 21:37

Had a colleague whose contract was terminated when she had cancer, she was still working and asked to go down to three days a week during chemo and she was let go instead.

Narwhalsh · 27/08/2025 21:37

Mydadsbirthday · 27/08/2025 21:33

I've never thought about this but it's very worrying.

My work has a very good life assurance policy for death in service so if I died suddenly or in an accident DH and DC would be very well provided for but I guess this doesn't apply if you have cancer and are dismissed.

Do most people take out their own insurance or critical illness cover? I've never even thought about it.

I suspect most people don’t (like some people don’t have pensions!) but you should look into it particularly if you have a mortgage and/or a family

Wolfpa · 27/08/2025 21:38

I work for a huge multinational company and have seen people let go for being off long term. I think compared to others we have a generous policy though as you get one year full pay, one year no pay and it is after then they cease employment.

Kuretake · 27/08/2025 21:40

I've looked into critical illness insurance but it was very expensive and insurers will fight a claim. I have life insurance and a lot of savings plus DH gets my pension pot. Hopefully that would be enough. Id do everything I could to stay employed though - the payout would be over a million pounds to my family.

At my work I've twice seen people have terminal diagnoses. One person we managed to keep on the books on sick pay and her husband got the death in service payout. Other person went very part time (like an hour a week "consultancy" if well enough and again the insurer paid out under DIS.

TheOGCCL · 27/08/2025 21:41

sciaticafanatica · 27/08/2025 20:41

I’ve never seen it happen.
I worked somewhere 20yrs ago that kept someone terminally ill employed (although they were off sick) they paid them fully and made sure his family got company death benefits.
doubt that would happen anywhere now

This happened at my work last year.

Rewis · 27/08/2025 21:44

One of my colleagues got a demotion while battling cancer. 6 months away from retirement.

Newusername1234567 · 27/08/2025 21:45

Yes, my company dismissed an employee after a year or so. He got in an accident, van hit him, got pretty bad injuries.

Itstwelveoclocksomewhere · 27/08/2025 21:47

Cancer is classed as a disability and it is illegal according to Daniel Barnett on LBC's legal hour last Saturday evening. A caller rang in with this situation and he was advised to take a case against the company and he would definitely win. However as the caller had terminal cancer, he had to weigh up whether to waste his remaining time on a court case which he was told he would definitely win. The caller said he would take the case because it would provide for his children.

Swg · 27/08/2025 21:50

northernlightnights · 27/08/2025 20:48

Yes I’ve known it…it’s tragic but in fairness to employers it’s unfair to expect them to pay full wages for that long or hold a job open which may be impacting on other employees own workloads and stresses. I’ve known several people who remained working during cancer - even at stage 4 most largely continued to work in a reduced capacity and treatment tended to be a few months at a time ….not a year?

That entirely depends on the person, and the cancer, and the treatment. People tend to think of the treatment as an “oh hey it’s done now” thing. It isn’t always. And the grade isn’t a way to measure - you can get cancers which are barely symptomatic until they are and then three weeks later you’re dead.
I needed two years off after a cancer diagnosis. I’m still not really all right now and mine was a fairly low grade cancer which hopefully now is completely in remission. But the treatment kicked off multiple chronic conditions which had me hospitalised repeatedly, required a shitload of tests to diagnose (because when you’re tired after cancer treatment they don’t think “it could be a new chronic condition” they think “that’s probably the cancer” and referred me back to the two week pathway multiple times because people kept querying if maybe it could now be stomach or bowel cancer messing me up (it was not). There were multiple occasions of “it’s not cancer and that test for Chronic Condition will take six weeks to come back. No we won’t test for anything else or give you any treatment in those six weeks.” Meanwhile I had a boss wanting to know when I’d be back and I didn’t even know what the condition was let alone prognosis.
Before anyone bemoans the NHS two years was how long it took to work out what was going on with the help of private healthcare. Now think how long it would have been solely on NHS.

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 27/08/2025 21:52

Testerical · 27/08/2025 20:45

I personally think this should be banned.
It’s inhumane.
at the moment it’s perfectly legal and doesn’t automatically qualify as disability discrimination - even if it does count as DD, sometimes this can be justified by employers.

In my dictatorship (!) every employer has insurance for staff and general misfortune, and they pay out for employees who are unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer or another life-limiting disease.

But what about small employers, with only a few staff - how are they meant to afford to pay someone that isn't working for them?

Why should the employer have the insurance and not the employee?

And I'm not talking about big businesses, but small sole traders or little lads who are taking modest profits?

(No skin in the game, I just volunteer at something like the CAB)

Swg · 27/08/2025 21:53

Narwhalsh · 27/08/2025 21:35

As pp has said, recommend personal life insurance and critical illness cover. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect an employer to necessarily cover you for a long term illness and especially in a small company.

Cancer rates are increasing so I personally think it’s prudent to insure as individuals (no I don’t work for an insurance company!)

It is but also be warned that you need some back up that isn’t just critical illness. It took six months for mine to pay out. Not because of the insurance, they were genuinely great. But you need a consultant to fill in a form and that’s not classed as NHS work so they can put it off to whenever and my consultant could not be arsed.

GonnaeNoDaeThatJustGonnaeNo · 27/08/2025 21:53

We provide 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay but once someone has been off 12 months we would be bringing in occupational health to explore whether they can ever come back to work and and timescales.

We would also have to explore ending the employment.

Loub1987 · 27/08/2025 21:53

Ultimately, you are contracted to work. If you are unable to do so, regardless of reasonable adjustments, then yes after a significant period of time you can be dismissed. I don’t really understand what people think the alternative is. The state should provide when people are incapable of working not the employer.