For companies and local authorities that wish to improve support for employees with cancer, the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) offers the opportunity to sign a charter of best practice, the ultimate objective being to help cancer sufferers stay in or return to work. CNP Assurances is a signatory of the “Cancer and Employment” charter and is committed to working with the institute to promote healthcare for all its employees.
There are currently 3 million people in France who have or have had cancer. Of the 1,000 new cases diagnosed every day, 400 concern people in employment. Their professional situations seriously deteriorate as a result: in the two years following a cancer diagnosis, 30% lose their jobs or resign.
With managers and employees still insufficiently prepared, returning to work after sick leave can be detrimental to a company’s structure.
Commitments of the “Cancer and Employment” charter
The “Cancer and Employment” charter was drawn up within the framework of the Club des entreprises, jointly run by the INCa, the French National Association of Human Resources Directors (ANDRH), and the French National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions (ANACT) and its network of regional associations for improved working conditions (ARACT).
This charter includes 11 operational commitments to enable the implementation a coherent approach that meets the needs of the company and employees with regards to helping cancer sufferers stay in or return to work.
These commitments touch on four areas of improvement:
• Supporting employees in staying in and returning to employment;
• Training and informing the organisation’s stakeholders;
• Promoting healthcare;
• Evaluating and sharing.
50 organisations have signed the charter and more than 1,500,000 employees and agents are affected by its commitments, which, in concrete terms, entail:
• The sharing of experiences and the involvement of researchers through a club d’entreprises that meets two to three times a year. It is made up of members from human resources, disability, and occupational health departments;
• The provision of awareness-raising tools, and the possibility of taking part in a training day with a cancer specialist and an ergonomist;
• An annual workshop to reflect on a given topic, with the production of a deliverable.
CNP Assurances has included this commitment in the second Quality of Work Life (QWL) agreement, signed in July 2020, as part of its actions to promote the employment of people with disabilities, and applicable to all
CNP Assurances employees in France over the period of 2020 to 2023,
Bérengère Grandjean, Human Resources Director of CNP Assurances, says: “By signing the ‘Cancer and Employment’ charter on 4 February 2021, World Cancer Day, CNP Assurances is showing its commitment to improving support for employees with cancer and to promoting healthcare. Becoming a signatory marks our support for all those working for public health in the public, private and charitable spheres, and is part of our second QWL agreement.”
For more information on the INCa:
https://en.e-cancer.fr/