Episode 220 - What are my rights? Working with cancer and menopause

About this episode

The episode discusses rights and support for individuals dealing with cancer and menopause in the workplace.

Do you know your rights to work after a cancer diagnosis and with ongoing menopause symptoms? From navigating time off, to returning to work, to managing menopause symptoms in the workplace, it can feel overwhelming to know what your rights are and what support you should expect. I’m joined by Barbara Wilson, from Working With Cancer, who brings over 50 years of experience supporting people through cancer at work. Together, we break this down in a really practical way— so you can feel more informed and more confident in advocating for yourself. In this episode, we cover: Whether cancer is automatically considered a disability under UK law Your rights when returning to work after treatment What a good return-to-work plan should actually look like What “reasonable adjustments” mean — and real-life examples What counts as discrimination in this context How much do you need to disclose about your diagnosis (including when applying for a job) Whether menopause is recognised as a disability under UK law How treatment-induced menopause after cancer is considered in the workplace Whether employers are expected to support menopause symptoms Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction 06:31…

People in this episode

Host: Dani Binnington

Guest: Barbara Wilson

Topics covered

• cancer rights
• menopause symptoms
• workplace support
• disability law
• return to work
• reasonable adjustments

Keywords

• cancer diagnosis
• menopause
• workplace rights
• discrimination
• return to work plan
• reasonable adjustments
• disclosure
• UK law

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Working With Cancer

Places: UK

More episodes of The Menopause and Cancer Podcast

• Episode 221 - Who controls what happens between women’s legs after menopause · June 10, 2026 · 36 min
• Episode 219 - Who Am I Now: Identity After Menopause and Cancer · May 27, 2026 · 51 min
• Episode 218 - What Is It Like for Partners? Men Supporting Women Through Cancer & Menopause · May 20, 2026 · 44 min
• Episode 217 - Support, Strength & Saying It As It Is - Living with Secondary Cancer · May 13, 2026 · 45 min
• Episode 216 - Is It Brain Fog… or ADHD? · May 6, 2026 · 46 min
• Episode 215 - Bone Health After Cancer & Menopause: What Every Survivor Needs to Know · April 29, 2026 · 1h 0m