1 bank’s initiative to help cancer patients re-enter workforce

Bendigo Bank, Mars Recruitment, and Peter Mac have teamed up to bring recovering cancer patients through the doors of Bendigo, broadening employment opportunities for affected individuals.

“For over 160 years, Bendigo Bank as part of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, has played an important role, supporting, and investing in our customers and their communities – across regional Australia and way beyond. We’ve never been ‘just a bank’, we never want our people to feel like ‘just an employee’,” said Bendigo Bank’s chief people officer Louise Tebbutt.

“I know from personal experience how difficult transitioning back to the workforce after treatment can be. While I knew I had everyone’s support and care – I can only imagine how hard it would be trying to do it at a new workplace. That is why this partnership is so important.”

This initiative aims to boost participation rates of those in remission. Not only could this help keep families who have gone through hardship afloat, but it could help stimulate the economy.

Reports have shown that cancer costs Australia $1.7 billion annually in lost labour. Meanwhile, 67 per cent of Australians of working age (25–64) diagnosed with cancer reported changes to their employment in 2015, such as reduced hours and stopping work, and around 50,000 people with cancer weren’t working at all.

Furthermore, Australians with a cancer diagnosis who didn’t have a tertiary qualification were nearly four times as likely to not be working as those who did.

Professor and medical oncologist at Flinders University, Bogda Koczwara, said a lack of flexibility impacts people returning to work post-cancer.

“In Australia, there isn’t a lot of room for return to employment. Sometimes a person may be willing to return to work but not capable of doing so at full capacity. But they’re better off staying at home and claiming full insurance than going back to work partially because that way they lose their payments,” she said.

To assist those re-entering the workforce post-cancer treatment, Cancer Council Victoria released a guide. Some key considerations are:

• It’s natural to feel nervous about returning to work after treatment for cancer.
• Seek advice from your doctor about whether you are ready to return to work and able to carry out your usual tasks.
• A written return-to-work plan can be a helpful guide for you and your employer.
• Talk to your employer about returning to work part-time or on lighter duties. As your health improves, you may want to ease back into your previous routine.
• Let your employer know about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you carry out the inherent requirements of your job.
• Seek advice from a rehabilitation health professional such as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist to build up your functional endurance. Your employer must keep this information confidential.

[Related: Suncorp raises almost $1m for cancer prevention]

Jack Campbell is the editor of Broker Daily. After graduating from the University of Wollongong in 2022, Jack began his journalistic career working on Broker Daily’s sister brand, HR Leader. In August 2023 he was made the news editor and worked alongside some talented journalists writing articles and recording podcasts.

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