It may help get through treatment if you keep in mind that colorectal cancer does not have a negative long-term impact on the careers of most people. There may be problems in the work place in the short term, but they do not affect the long term.

If you have not told your employer or co-workers about your condition yet, think about whether to continue to keep it a secret. On the one hand, there is no need to tell because surgery removes all evidence of disease. You will not need any accommodation at work because of your condition or treatment. On the other hand, the greater the secret and the longer you keep it, the greater the stress. While having cancer of any kind, no matter that it can be removed with no evidence of disease, is stressful. (For more information, click here)

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar laws protect against discrimination in the workplace if your condition rises to the level of a "disability" within the meaning of the law. A diagnosis of stage 0,1 does not seem to meet that requirement.

If you have a recurrence, you can reconsider the situation then. (For information about work and recurrence, click here.)

Keep track of facts in a Work Journal that would be relevant to a discrimination claim "just in case."

When you have a chance, review employer benefits from the perspective of a person with cancer. You may want to add to your benefits or perhaps change health insurance policies when you have an opportunity. (For tips about reviewing employer benefits, click here.)

To learn more, see:

• If You Haven't Told About Your Condition At Work
• If You Need To Take Hours, Days Or Weeks Off From Work
• Review Employer Benefits In Light Of Your Diagnosis

NOTE: Information for small business owners and self employed people is covered in the documents in "To Learn More."

Be cautious about telling now.

Cancer may cause co-workers to feel uncomfortable around you. On the other hand, there are many, many stories of co-workers who pitched in to help, including providing sick days for a co-worker’s use and taking food to co-workers at home.

There is no legal obligation to tell as long as your condition does not endanger other people. 

If your work situation isn’t a good place to talk about your illness, perhaps your best option is to be discrete about what is wrong.

• Filing an insurance claim does not automatically trigger disclosure of what is wrong with you. In most situations, the insurer and the company’s benefits department are specifically prohibited from such disclosure.
• Many companies also have a system under which you can send your claim directly to the insurer.
• It may be difficult to be discrete if you need a lot of time off for treatment or dealing with side effects.

If you do decide to tell, think about:

• First consider who to tell. 
  • An employer must keep the information confidential. It is better to tell a supervisor in human resources rather than a lower level person. Supervisors are more likely to know about and honor the confidentiality requirement. Remind him or her that you expect this information to remain confidential -- at least until you have a chance to decide who you want to tell and when. For more information, click here.
  • There is no similar restriction on co-workers so what you tell co-workers is not confidential information. For information about telling co-workers, click here. 
• You may need to tell your employer and likely your co-workers if:
  • You will need time off beyond what you are entitled to as vacation or personal time, or you need an accommodation at work to permit you to do your job while undergoing treatment.
  • You need an accommodation such as moving closer to the bathroom or shifting some of your work to co-workers for a while. 
• It may help determine whether to tell if you think about whether your employer is cancer friendly or not. (See the document in "To Learn More.")

If you need to take time off work because of your treatment or side effects, you may be entitled to the time under any of the following concepts:

• As an employer based benefit such as sick time, vacation time or personal time.
• As a matter of right under such laws as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which provides for unpaid time off and laws such as the Americans Disabilities Act under which the time may be considered to be an accommodation to which you are legally entitled (possibly with pay). 
• The documents in "To Learn More" help you understand your various rights, and which it is better to call time off.

If you will need time off:

• Look at benefits from your workplace and think about how to maximize your time off while minimizing disruption in your pay. (See How To Maximize Your Benefits If You Need Time Off For Health Reasons)
• Check to see if your employer has forms to complete in order to take time off. If so, get the forms and see what you need to do to complete them. If the form needs input from your doctor, send it on to the doctor. Ask the doctor to return the form to you rather than the employer (so you can check it over). Give the doctor a deadline by when you need the completed form.
• Talk with your boss about:
  • Working different hours, part time, or perhaps from home for all or at least part of the day. (For information about working at home, click here).
  • Sharing work with other people.
  • Passing work on to other people.
• Make detailed lists of the work that will need to be done or followed up on, while you are not working. Include deadlines and contact information for the people involved.
• Check to see if your employer or state required program provides short term disability income.
• Learn about protections such as those provided by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family And Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
• Think about where income will come from. Check for disability income from your employer, disability insurance, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or state disability income. (See "To Learn More.")

Benefits may look different to you from the point of view of a person who has been diagnosed. For instance:

• If you have a tax advantaged savings account such as a Health Savings Account , now is the time to take full advantage of it. The Survivorship A to Z document in "To Learn More" shows you how.
• Increase the amount of your life insurance if you can. 
  • Even if your beneficiaries do not need the money, you can get money from a life insurance policy while alive if your life expectancy becomes shortened. A sale is through a process known as a Viatical Settlement or a Life Settlement. See "To Learn More."
  • You can purchase life insurance during open enrollment periods when no health questions are asked.
• Buy disability insurance and/or long term care insurance if you become eligible. Your health condition makes it more likely that something else may happen. 
• During open enrollment periods, look at health insurance alternatives from the point of view of a person with cancer. Survivorship A to Z's Health Insurance Evaluator helps you compare policies from such a point of view.

NOTE: If finances are a problem, look at the Survivorship A to Z information about dealing with a financial crunch. It provides information from the point of view of a person living after a diagnosis. See "To Learn More."