PR 00273

A coaching service for employers will be developed and piloted. Rother Voluntary Action will take the lead in this work package, known as Work Package 3, or WP3. The methodological framework for collecting the data will be developed by ZB Planbureau Zeeland and Artevelde University College. The other involved active partners are Starpunt Inclusive Entrepreneurship and MEL.

The toolbox's goal is the implementation of pro-active policies and practical procedures to support employees with cancer in the workplace. The toolbox will provide a ‘service blueprint’ to create pro-active, structural HR policies to deal with employees with cancer. The toolbox will offer ideas and support to management teams about what they can do to facilitate continued employment for employees with a cancer diagnosis during and post-treatment. Employers will be encouraged to use job carving techniques, adapting workplace environments, job duties, flexible working hours, retraining, support of line managers and colleagues. The toolbox will be created, based on desk research, focus groups with management teams and study visits. 3 PDCA-cycles will be done in order to test and optimise the toolbox. The final prototype of the toolbox will include various modules and will differ according to the size of the company (small-medium-large). Giving feedback on the toolbox and helping with the recruitment of employers to test the toolbox will be facilitated by our observing partners.

The training programme of (HR)managers is an addition to the toolbox. In this training programme, core skills will be addressed, including elements from coaching and counselling, to active listening and conversation; guidelines about how to facilitate contact during treatment without intruding on the employee’s privacy; how to support colleagues of the employee with cancer; how to implement job carving techniques, retraining, and how to offer adequate support once the employee has returned to work.

A final activity within WP3 regards policy recommendations at European and national level. We want to compare the existing policies in the 2Seas area in order to identify best practice and gaps.