For Sadoun, the decision to go public was a difficult one because it meant showing vulnerability as a person and as a leader of one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. He said he received a caring response.
What shocked him most was that many told him that he hid his cancer diagnosis from his employers for fear of losing his job or appearing weak. They can take time off for treatment or schedule very early surgeries and work the same day, Sadoun told CNN. Some even hid his own child’s cancer treatment from his boss, he added.
“It’s crazy,” Sudden said. “I started 2022 with cancer and left with a mission.”
Its mission is to create a global campaign to encourage employers to eradicate stigma and anxiety about having cancer in the workplace.
Many of the world’s most famous companies have already agreed to this pledge. They include Bank of America, Citi, Disney, Google, L’Oreal, Marriott, McDonald’s, Meta, Microsoft, Nestle, PepsiCo, Toyota, Unilever and Walmart.
Employers making the pledge promise to “eliminate work fear and anxiety among cancer patients in the workplace.”
For example, Walmart says on its #WorkingWithCancer Pledge site that it now offers access to quality care in the US through its Center for Excellence program, and that care is often free. This includes travel and lodging, if necessary, for both employees and their caregivers.company It also says it offers free counseling by licensed therapists, educational resources, cancer experts, and a leave of absence program.
With respect to our forward-looking pledge, Publicis promises to our employees around the world that:
- Secure jobs and salaries for employees with cancer for at least one year so they can focus on health care
- Provide career support after affected employees return to work to help them assess whether they would like to do the same job or try something else, depending on their post-treatment abilities.
- Provide impacted employees with an internal community of trained volunteers who can provide support “so employees don’t feel alone during difficult times.”
- Provide custom support for employees working as caregivers for family members with cancer, giving them the flexibility and time they need to “keep up their work and caregiver energy” will do so.
Leading cancer research organizations, including Memorial Sloan Kettering, have endorsed Sudden’s initiative.
His hope is that if the world’s largest companies publicize what they’re doing to help cancer patients and make it easier to talk about cancer in the workplace, smaller companies may follow suit. .
