When lawyer Sarah Donnelly was diagnosed with breast cancer, she turned to her friends and family for support -- but she also found meaning, focus and stability in her work. In a personal talk about why and how she stayed on the job, she shares her insights on how workplaces can accommodate people going through major illnesses -- because the benefits go both ways.
00:01
It was June 2014. I was 30 years old, and I received a call from my doctor's office to say my test results were in. So I walked up to see her in my lunch break, and my doctor said she was very sorry to tell me that I had breast cancer. I didn't want to believe her and at first, I didn't.You see, I'm a lawyer and I needed some evidence. So I'm very embarrassed to tell you allthat I stood up and I walked around to where she was sitting so that I could look over her shoulder and verify what was written on the page in front of her.
00:42
00:43
Malignant carcinoma. But still not wanting to believe it, I said, "Now, malignant carcinoma, you're sure that means cancer?"
00:54
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She told me she was sure. Back at work, I handed over the urgent things that needed to be done while I was having more tests to see if my cancer had spread. But at that moment, work wasn't my priority. I was thinking about how I was going to tell my family and friends that I had cancer. How I was going to answer their questions about how bad it was and whether I was going to be OK, when I didn't know that myself. I was wondering if my partner and Iwould ever have an opportunity to start a family. And I was figuring out how I was going to tell my mother, who had herself had breast cancer when she was pregnant with me. She would know how I was feeling and have an idea of what lay ahead for me. But I also didn't want her to have to relive her cancer experience.
01:47
What I didn't appreciate at the time was that work was about to play a huge role in my treatment and recovery. That it would be my coworkers and my job that would make me feel valuable and human at times when I would have otherwise felt like a statistic. That it would be my job that would give me routine and stability when I was dealing with so many difficult personal decisions and so much uncertainty. Like, what sort of breast reconstruction I was going to have. And at a time like that, you would think that I would turn to my family and friends for support. And yes, of course I did that. But it would ultimately be my colleagueswho would play a huge role in my day-to-day life. And they would be the ones to make me laugh.
02:37
You see, we were a pretty close team, and we shared a couple of really good in-jokes, like this time they overheard someone ask me how I got my hair so shiny and perfect -- without knowing that it was, of course, a wig, and you know, it was a very good wig and it did make getting ready in the mornings very easy.
03:00
03:01
But in little moments like this, I appreciated what their support meant, and I wondered what I would have done without that network. I've spoken with so many people, women in particular,who haven't had the chance to have that network because they haven't been given the opportunity to work through treatment. And there are several reasons for this. But I think it mostly comes down to overly paternalistic employers.
03:30
These employers want you to go away and focus on yourself. And come back when you're better. And they use those kinds of phrases. And while these responses are well-meaning,knowing the benefits it brought me, it makes me incredibly frustrated when people are told that they couldn’t or shouldn't work, when it's something that they want to do and physically can do.
03:57
So I started to look into what an employer is required to do when someone presents with a cancer diagnosis. I discovered that under Australian law, cancer is considered a disability. So if you are unable to perform your usual work duties, your employer is obligated by the Disability Discrimination Act to make reasonable adjustments to your working arrangements,so that you can continue to work. What would reasonable adjustments look like for me? I knew the obvious impacts my diagnosis was going to have on work. Medical appointments would be scheduled during business hours, and I knew that I would need time off to recover from surgical procedures. Again, being a typical lawyer, I had done my due diligence on what to expect from treatment. Admittedly, a lot of that was through Doctor Google, perhaps not my best move and I wouldn't recommend that.
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But while I was ready for all the physical side effects, what really scared me was this thing called chemo brain.
05:03
Chemo brain presents itself through memory loss, an inability to concentrate and an inability to solve problems. And if this happened to me, I wondered how I was going to do my job as a lawyer. Would I be forced to leave work? And how could I possibly have a discussion with my manager about reasonable adjustments to my working arrangements when I didn't know how I was going to be impacted? I was fortunate to have a supportive manager who was happy to see how things went as we went along, rather than requiring a concrete plan up front. I was lucky that while he may not have even known about this concept of reasonable adjustments,to him, it was just common sense.
05:51
But I've learned that it's not common sense to everyone. Everyone going through treatment will learn how it impacts them and what their limitations are. And they'll learn to adjust for that. So for me, there were the tips and tricks that I learned about the treatment itself, like, before you go to chemo, you need to make sure you're really well hydrated and that you're warm, because it helps the nurses to find your veins. And make sure that you don't eat any of your favorite food, either before or after chemo, because you're going to be throwing that upand you won't ever want to look at it again.
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I learned that one the hard way. And then there were the tricks for managing my workflow. I scheduled chemo for first thing on a Monday morning. I knew that from the time I left the cancer care unit, I had about four hours before this fog screen would come down and I would start to be sick. So I would use that time to clean my inbox and make any urgent calls. The worst of the sickness would be gone within about 48 hours. And then I would log back into work from home. This treatment continued and I knew what to expect. I was able to set reasonable expectations with my business partners about what I could do and the time frames that I could do it in.
07:11
But I still remember the hesitation in their voices when it came to asking for things. And asking me to do things by a certain time. And trust me, these were people that were not afraid of setting a good deadline.
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I got the impression they didn't want to put any extra pressure on me while I was going through treatment. And while I appreciated the sentiment, I actually needed the deadlines. To me, that was something within my control and something that could stay in my control when there were so many things that couldn't.
07:45
And as I was working from home, I was thinking about how employers should be applying this concept of reasonable adjustments in our current age, where one in two Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. So, as we continue to work longer and longer into older age, the chances of having a serious illness while we're in the workforceare increasing. And with technology enabling us to work anywhere, any time, reasonable adjustments are no longer contingent upon whether or not you can continue to physically make it into the physical office. Reasonable adjustments are also not about just offering a longer break or a comfier chair to sit in, although those things might be good, too. At the very least, we need to be applying the flexibility policies and strategies we've developed for other scenarios, like for people with family responsibilities.
08:47
But how can we ensure that people are even having a conversation about what reasonable adjustments might look like for them if a manager's first response is to say, "Oh no, don't come back to work until you're better." And a light went on for me. It must be compulsory for managers to have to have these conversations with their employees. And lessons from people like me, that have really benefited from working through treatment, need to be more widely shared.
09:19
And I thought about what could be done to guide these conversations, and then an amazing colleague of mine, Camilla Gunn, developed a "Working with Cancer" toolkit. The toolkit provides a framework for those diagnosed, their managers, their carers and their coworkers to have conversations about cancer and the work support available. Camilla and I have now been to other organizations to talk about the toolkit and how it can help to guide throughwhat, quite frankly, are otherwise some pretty awkward conversations. And I'm pleased to say that the uptake of the toolkit is increasing.
09:58
So what should be a manager's first response when somebody says that they're sick and they don't know how it's going to impact their work? It must be this: "To the extent that you are able, and want to, we would love to work out an arrangement for you to continue to work through treatment." We need to start positively engaging people with serious illness to keep them in the workforce, rather than paternalistically pushing them away.
10:28
I've told you my story because I want you to know the benefits that working through treatment brought me. And I also want to change your perceptions if you think that somebody going through treatment is just bored, frail and vomiting a lot. And yes, these things were true some of the time, if not a lot of the time, but I was also determined to push myself at work as much as I had always done. And I was able to do that because my employer gave me the choice.
10:59
Most importantly, I'm telling you because while it's a seemingly obvious choice to give someone, it's not one that is always offered or encouraged. And it must be.
11:11
Thank you.
工作助我抗癌
2014 年 6 月， 我 30 岁， 我的医生的办公室打了通电话给我， 说我的检验结果出来了。 所以，我在午休时间 去找我的医生，她说 她非常遗憾要告诉我，我得了乳癌。 我不想相信她， 一开始，我的确不相信。要知道，我是个律师，我需要证据。 所以，我非常不好意思地告诉各位， 我站起来，绕到她坐的地方后面， 这样我才能从她肩上看到并确认 她面前的那张纸上写了什麽。
恶性肿瘤。 但我还是不愿相信，我说： 「恶性肿瘤，你确定 它的意思就是癌症吗？」
她告诉我，她很肯定。 回到工作上，我把 需要处理的急事都交付出去， 同时我接受更多检测， 看我的癌症是否有扩散。 但在那时刻， 工作不是我的第一要务。 我在想的是，我要如何 告诉我的家人和朋友 我得了癌症。 他们可能会问我一些问题， 比如状况有多糟，我是否会没事， 而我都不知道答案，要如何回答？我在纳闷，我的另一半和我 是否会有机会成家。 我在想著，我要如何告诉我妈妈， 她自己在怀我的时候也得了乳癌。 她会懂我的感受 且知道我接下来要面对什麽。 但我也不想让她 再走过一次她的癌症经验。
我当时还不知道， 工作将会在我的治疗和恢复中 扮演很重要的角色。 后来是我的同事和我的工作 让我觉得我有价值、我是人， 要不然，我那时可能 会觉得自己只是统计数字。 是我的工作给了我 例行公事和稳定性， 那时我需要处理好多困难的个人决定 和好多的不确定性。 比如，我要做哪一种乳房重建。 在那样的时刻， 你们可能会认为， 我应该向家人朋友寻求支持。 是的，当然我有这麽做。 但最终还是我的同事在我每天的生活中扮演重要的角色。 让我笑的人是他们。
我们是个很亲密的团队， 我们有一些只有自己人 才知道的笑话， 比如，有一次他们 不小心听到有人问我怎样能使头髮如此闪亮、完美── 却完全不知道，那是假髮， 而且那是顶很好的假髮， 它也让早上起床之后的 梳妆整理变得很容易。
但像这样的小小时刻， 我很感谢他们的支持带给我的意义， 若没有那支持关係， 我不知道我该怎麽办。我和好多人谈过，特别是女性， 都是没有机会拥有那种关係网络的人， 因为他们在治疗的过程中 都没有机会工作。 这背后有好几个原因。 但我认为主要的原因是 僱主太过家长作风了。
这些僱主希望你走开， 专注在自己身上就好。 当你比较好之后再回来。 他们会用像那样的说词。 虽然他们的这些反应都是出于好意， 但我知道工作带给我的益处， 所以当听到癌症病人被告知 他们不能或不该工作时， 我就会觉得非常灰心， 因为他们想要工作， 且身体上也能够办到。
所以我开始研究，当员工向僱主提出 癌症诊断书时，僱主需要做什麽。 我发现，在澳洲法律中， 癌症被视为残疾。 所以，如果你无法进行 你平常的工作职责， 根据残疾歧视法案，你的僱主有义务 要针对你的工作安排做合理的调整， 让你能够继续工作。 对我来说，合理的调整是什麽样的？ 我知道我的诊断对于工作 会有哪些明显的影响。 医疗诊治的时间都排订在上班时段， 我也知道在手术之后 我会需要时间恢复。 同样的，身为很典型的律师， 对于治疗要有什麽样的期待， 我已做了法律相关的尽职调查。 无可否认，许多调查 是通过 Google 教授做的， 那可能不是我最好的对策， 我不建议这麽做。
虽然我准备好迎接 所有身体上的副作用， 真正让我害怕的， 是所谓的「化疗脑」。
化疗脑出现的形式包括记忆丧失、 无法专心， 以及无法解决问题。 如果这发生在我身上， 我不知道我要如何做我的律师工作。 我会被迫离开工作吗？ 我怎麽可能和我的经理讨论 我的工作安排要做哪些合理调整， 如果我连我会如何被影响都不知道？ 我很幸运，有个支持我的经理， 他很乐意随著发展再看状况如何， 而不是要求事前就要有具体的计画。 我很幸运，他甚至可能不知道 这个合理调整的观念， 对他来说，这只是常识。
但我发现这并非对所有人都是常识。 所有要经历治疗的人， 都会了解到治疗对他们的影响， 以及他们的限制是什麽。 他们会学会做相应的调整。 所以，对我来说，关于治疗本身， 我学到了一些密诀和诀窍， 比如，在你去化疗之前， 你得要确保你自己有足够的水分， 且要注意保暖，因为那样 能协助护士找到你的静脉。 还要确保你不吃任何你最爱的食物， 化疗前或化疗后都不行， 因为你会把它吐出来， 且你永远不会想要再看它一眼了。
这点我是从痛苦经验学来的。 另外，还有关于管理 我的工作流程的诀窍。 我把化疗安排为 星期一早上的第一件事。 我知道从我离开癌症照护单位之后， 我会有大约四小时时间， 接著雾幕就会出现， 我就会开始不舒服。 我会用那段时间，清理我的 收件匣并打一些紧急的电话。 最不舒服的状况会在 48 小时以内就过去。 接著我会从家中开始工作。 治疗继续下去， 而我知道该预期什麽。 我能够和我的生意伙伴 设下合理的期望， 关于我能做些什麽， 以及我要多少时间来完成期望。
但我还记得，他们带著 迟疑的声音来找我， 要求我做一些事， 要求我在某个时限内完成事情。 相信我，这些人都 不怕设下好的截止期限。
我的印象是，他们不想 在我身上增加额外的压力， 因为我一边要接受治疗。 虽然我很感谢那样的情操，我其实是需要截止期限的。 对我来说，那是我能控制的东西， 且是我能持续控制的东西， 在这时期有太多我无法控制的了。
当我在家工作时， 我在想在我们目前 这个时代，僱主要如何把 这合理调整的概念实际应用出来， 现在，在澳洲，每两位 男性及女性中就有一位， 会在 85 岁之前被诊断出癌症。 随著我们在职场上工作越久， 我们的年龄也在增长， 在职场上工作时 得到严重疾病的可能性 也在增加。 现在科技让我们可以 在任何地方、任何时间工作， 合理调整就不再受限于 你是否能持续实际去 实体的办公室工作。 合理调整的重点也不在于 提供更长的休息时间 和更舒服的座椅， 不过能有这些也不赖。 最少， 我们必须要能够实施我们为其他情况 发展出来弹性政策和策略， 比如为了有家庭责任的人所发展的。
但我们要如何确保大家有机会进行 怎样合理调整才适合的对话， 如果经理的第一个反应就是说： 「喔，不，在你好转之前 都别回来上班。」 而有一盏灯为我亮了起来。 经理和其旗下员工进行 这类对谈，必须要是强制性的。 像我这样子在治疗过程中， 持续工作而受益的人所学到的教训， 需要被广泛分享出去。
我思考过能怎样引导这类对谈， 然后我有一位了不起的同事 卡蜜拉甘恩（Camilla Gunn）， 发展出了一套 「带著癌症工作」工具组。 这套工具组提供了一架构 给被诊断出癌症的人、 他们的经理、他们的照护者， 以及他们的同事， 让他们能针对癌症 以及可得的工作支援进行对谈。 卡蜜拉和我现在已经去过一些组织，去谈这套工具组， 以及它如何能协助引导大家 进行这些本来势必会 相当尴尬的对谈。 我很高兴能够说， 越来越多人在使用这套工具组。
经理的第一个反应应该是什麽， 当听到有人说他们生病了， 且不知道这疾病会 如何影响他们的工作？ 经理的反应必须要是这样的： 「在你能做到且想要做到的范围内， 我们很乐意为你做出安排， 让你能在治疗过程中持续工作。」 我们需要开始积极吸引 患有严重疾病的人员， 让他们继续留在工作岗位上， 而不是採取家长式的态度推开他们。
我把我的故事告诉各位， 是因为我希望你们能够了解 在治疗期间持续工作带给我的益处。 我也想要改变各位的看法， 如果你们觉得在接受治疗的人 就是感到厌倦、虚弱，和常常呕吐。 是的，的确，就算不是经常， 至少也有时是这样没错， 但我也下决心，要在工作上尽全力， 就像我过去一直以来那样。 我之所以能够做到， 是因为我的僱主给我这个选择。
最重要的，我跟各位说这个故事， 是因为，虽然似乎本来就 应该要给予这个选择， 通常，这个选择却没有 被提供或被鼓励提供。 这是必须要做的。
谢谢。
