Telling your colleagues about your diagnosis is a personal choice.
At first, you might not want to. Maybe you feel awkward, want to keep things as normal as possible or not feel up to dealing with their reactions.
However, as time goes on it might be easier if your colleagues are aware of what you're going through. They may notice visible physical changes, that you're having time off or that you need more breaks during the day.
Although starting conversations can be difficult, there are advantages in letting people at work know:
- They can understand why you're working or behaving differently
- They can suggest ideas for how they and other colleagues can help
- They may have helpful experiences of cancer to share
- It can help you feel less isolated at work
You might want to consider who you want to tell, how and when. Your line manager or HR team can you help you plan and can tell people for you if you want.
If some people seem to be avoiding you, it may be because they don’t know what to say or are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Showing them you want to talk openly may help them to understand and feel comfortable asking you questions.