I recently had 51 weeks off work. I wish I’d been jet setting around the globe but in reality, the only frequent flier miles I racked up were at my local hospital (believe me, I had plenty of jokes with the medical and catering staff about that). When my specialist stood beside my bed and said, “you’ll need to take some time off so we can get this sorted”, neither of us thought I’d be out of action for a year.

In the last few months, I’ve had conversations with others who have been on long term sick leave which has given me insights into how great employers help their staff through, what can be, a very traumatic time in their lives.

Major illness can strike at any age. Lois Keay-Smith , a Careers Expert, worked with Redkite , helping young adults (15-24) with cancer manage their career journeys. Interestingly, many of those who survived their battle with cancer changed their career direction and chose to study something in the healthcare field or became involved with a not-for-profit or social enterprise, ensuring their work (and life) had meaning. Post-traumatic growth often leads to people pursuing their dreams, which may have previously been merely pipe dreams.

Receiving a serious diagnosis can be devastating. Life as you know it is about to change. Having ‘the conversation’ with your employer can difficult. I had mine via telephone from a hospital bed and felt so much better when my MD said, “your health is the most important thing. Look after yourself. Don’t worry about us.”

In many workplaces, we refer to our colleagues as our work family – after all, we spend so much time with them. And it’s at times like this that we need our work family to support us, just like our real family does.

Emotional as well as practical support is important if one of your team members is faced with a serious illness. For the individual going through this, there is a mix of emotions, including:

As their manager, what can you do to help?

If your employee is absent for an extended period, it’s important to plan and manage their return to work. This will often mean a phased return, starting with a few hours a day, a few days per week or perhaps time working from home.

You may need to consider different roles or duties for them. If they have undergone chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy, for example, they may need to stay away from public places where the risk of infections is higher. Fatigue may be an issue, caused either by their condition or their medication, especially when they are getting back into the routine of work.

Remember, not all disabilities or illnesses are visible. Your employee may look amazing but don’t assume because they look great, they can instantly pick up where they left off. Returning to work after an illness can take some adjustment so be patient and understanding.

I will always be grateful to Mark Smith and the people2people management team for their support. When I was well enough to return to work, a new role was created for me based on my strengths, with reduced hours and great flexibility. I am proud to work for a wonderful organisation that supported me through my health challenges. Thank you people2people.

* I’d like to thank Annie from Hawaiian for sharing her story and contributing to this post. Hawaiian is another amazing, supportive employer and a highly regarded Western Australian business.

Learn more about mental health and self-care with Julian Pace.

Learn more about burnout with Gary Martin.