Working with cancer: the film Monday pleads for benevolence

World Cancer Day, February 4, is an opportunity to remember that 50% of people with cancer are afraid to talk to their employer about it. To break down prejudice and stop the stigmatization of the disease in the workplace, the Publicis Foundation is launching a global campaign entitled "Working with cancer". Gustave Roussy and the Cancer At Work association are proud to be the partners of this operation for France.

Fear of rejection, social and professional taboo... cancer is still "an unspeakable disease" in companies for half of the employees concerned. This is the observation made by Arthur Sadoun, Chairman of the Board of Publicis Groupe, who was confronted with the disease in April 2022. The executive, who has chosen to make his cancer public, has received thousands of testimonials, notably from Publicis employees. A Publicis Health study conducted in October 2022 shows that, for 92% of employees, the support received at work can have a positive impact on their health. The company has a key role to play in helping and encouraging employees living with cancer to return to work.  

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Mobilizing to talk about cancer in companies

To break the taboo of cancer in the workplace, the Publicis Foundation has launched the "Working with cancer" campaign in partnership with Gustave Roussy and the Cancer at Work association. This large-scale communication campaign, launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 17, is designed to encourage companies, large and small, to commit to creating conditions that are favorable to the return to work of employees suffering from cancer. All are invited to join the movement on the platform workingwithcancerpledge.com

From January 31 to April, this campaign takes a new turn to address patients, their colleagues and loved ones, and their employers around the world, with the film Monday broadcast on TV channels and social networks. This touching film depicts the return to work of a woman and a man who are welcomed by their colleagues. The journey of the disease is suggested in images revealing their story and their difficulties.

Preparing for the "after-cancer" period at Gustave Roussy 

As a partner, Gustave Roussy is supporting this campaign alongside the Cancer At Work association, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States and MacMillan Cancer Support in the UK. The issue of staying active and/or returning to work has always been a major concern for Gustave Roussy, which has dedicated one of its medical-scientific projects, Interval, to the post-cancer period. This research theme is integrated into several research projects, in particular the CANTO cohort, which aims to improve the quality of life of women with localized breast cancer.

The Interdisciplinary Department for the Organization of Patient Pathways (DIOPP),  headed by Dr. Florian Scotté, was created in 2020 to streamline the provision of care and pathways, but also to go further in patient care, taking also into account the post-cancer period. This pioneering department manages supportive care, and the psychological and social aspects of the disease, in an ongoing effort to innovate for the benefit of patients and their families.