Sanofi employees suffering from cancer or other critical illnesses, in addition to having full financial support from the company, will be able to benefit from full flexibility in working times and methods to better manage the course of their illness. This initiative, called Cancer & Work: Acting Together, guarantees support to workers who are diagnosed with cancer or another particularly critical illness. The program is aimed at all Sanofi employees worldwide and is divided into different forms of social, emotional and economic supportensuring collaborators keep their jobs, 100% intact salary, including all benefits for up to twelve monthsregardless of role and geographical location.
«This program is the result of a corporate culture that puts the person at the center, their professional and life path, their strengths but also their fragilities. A critical illness like cancer turns the life of a person and their family upside down and often also directly involves colleagues and the organization” he declared Laura Bruno Italia & Malta People & Culture Director, Sanofi. «As a company we wanted to deploy all the necessary resources to increase awareness of this issue and give the widest possible support. In Italy, for years we have provided supplementary permits aimed at assisting family members who are not self-sufficient or who have to manage critical illnesses. The team of people dedicated to this program has also implemented the forms of support already provided at a global level by the Programme, reviewing the package of tests foreseen in the biennial check-up scheduled for all our employees and adding a series of tumor markers useful for intercepting time the illness.”
The origins from below
The initiative was born in 2017 in France as a listening and sharing space created thanks to some employees who had been diagnosed with cancer or had sick colleagues and gradually expanded to become a network of 27 teams with a representation of each French Sanofi site, 150 members sharing feedback and best practices, more than 350 employees having benefited (42% sick employees, 30% assistants, 28% managers).
What the program includes
Sanofi employees suffering from cancer or other critical illnesses, in addition to having full financial support from the company, will be able to benefit from full flexibility in working times and methods to better manage the course of their illness. Despite some differences linked to the country, the program also includes a emotional support provided by a team of specially trained volunteer colleagues over the past few months to help them deal with the impact that the diagnosis, the treatment process and the return to work can have on them. Many members of the volunteer team have had an experience with cancer firsthand or alongside a loved oneto; This creates a dedicated and protected “space” for discussion, sharing and support which adds to the external psychological support service available to all employees in the countries in which Sanofi operates, active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. .
Work: often the price to pay for cancer
Of all chronic diseases, cancer has the highest rate of job loss. Data shows that the risk of losing a job in the EU increases by 1.4 times after a cancer diagnosis. According to an article published in Journal of the National Cancer Institutein the United States, more than 40% of cancer survivors who were employed at or after diagnosis experience cancer-related employment changes.
In a recent Harris poll conducted last year in the United States by Cancer & Careers, 35% said cancer patients generally face stigma in the workplace. However, the same study revealed that 78% believe that people who have been diagnosed with cancer and receive support from their employer are more likely to thrive in the workplace.
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