Employees returning to work after cancer treatment need to be actively involved in managing their reintegration. This is according to a new study that warns that current HR support structures are too rigid and often do not reflect the reality of survivors’ lives.
A study by NEOMA Business School, conducted in collaboration with IAE Lyon, found that traditional mechanisms such as recognized disability status (RQTH in France), reduced working hours and remote working only address superficial needs and ignore the deeper physical, cognitive and emotional changes that often follow a cancer diagnosis.
The study, based on a two-year action project involving 25 organizations and nearly 200 participants, examined how employees navigate their professional lives after treatment, highlighting a gap between employer policies and employee experience.
Professor Rachel Beaujolin (NEOMA) and Associate Professor Pascale Levet (IAE Lyon) found that returning to work after cancer requires a profound adjustment process rather than a simple reactivation of previous routines.
Survivors often report:
• Persistent fatigue
• Reduced concentration and cognitive changes
• Altered perception of time
• A reassessed relationship with work and purpose
“Returning means relearning the work,” the authors note, often with a body and mindset that no longer responds as it once did.
The researchers describe being away from work for many survivors as an experience of “abduction” – being suddenly removed from their professional environment. Upon returning, even familiar tasks may feel newly complex or overwhelming. However, this disruption can also be a powerful catalyst for learning and new practices.
To effectively support this transition, the study recommends creating reflection spaces and narrative workshops that allow employees to express and share their challenges and learning journeys in a structured environment. These insights can then be incorporated into collective practices and management approaches.
Given the diversity of cancer treatments and individual experiences, researchers argue that standard protocols are often inadequate.
“It’s not about proposing a standard protocol, but about learning to think based on real situations,” says Professor Beaujolin. “We need to recognize the knowledge that comes from these experiences and create spaces in which that knowledge can circulate.”
As survival rates increase and more workers choose to work before, during and after treatment, employers face increasing expectations to provide meaningful, people-centered reintegration strategies. Beyond regulatory compliance, this research suggests that effective return-to-work support requires listening, adaptability and co-creation with the employee.
The study, published in the Revue Française de Gestion, signals a growing shift in HR thinking – from procedural support to partnership recovery models that honor survivors’ voice and agency.
