Reasonable adjustments to the physical working environment for staff with a cancer diagnosis

Making reasonable adjustments to the physical working environment is a powerful way to support a colleague with a cancer diagnosis, helping them maintain their professional role while managing the intense physical demands of the illness and its treatment.

The first step is to focus on comfort, temperature regulation, and accessibility within their immediate workspace. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy, often leave individuals highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations, causing sudden hot flashes or severe chills.

Providing a desk location with personalized climate control options—such as proximity to an adjustable window, a position away from direct air conditioning vents, or simply supplying a quiet desktop fan or space heater—can make a massive difference.

Equally important is modifying the wider office geography to reduce physical exertion and accommodate medical vulnerabilities. Treatment often severely compromises a person’s immune system, making them highly susceptible to everyday infections, while also causing side effects like nausea or sudden mobility issues.

To address this, optimize their desk location so it is a short, flat walk to essential facilities like accessible restrooms, the staff breakroom, and clean drinking water, minimising the need to navigate long corridors or stairs when they are feeling weak.

To protect their health, ensure their workspace has easy access to hand sanitising stations and high-quality antibacterial wipes. If they share a crowded or open-plan office, consider creating a dedicated, quiet workspace or a private office space where they can work with a lower risk of germ exposure, while also giving them a private, dignified place to rest briefly or manage medication during the workday.