A breast cancer diagnosis is devastating and all too common. An estimated one in eight women in the U.S. will receive this diagnosis in their lifetime, and those affected by the disease have every part of their lives touched: family, romantic relationships, friendships, their relationship with themselves, and, yes, their work.
Better Ways to Support a Colleague with Breast Cancer
Advice from women who have been through the diagnosis.
October 02, 2023
HBR Staff/Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images
Summary.
Chances are, you’ll work with a person who is diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in your career. Do you know how to best support them during one of the most challenging times of their lives? In this article, five women who have undergone treatment describe ways their colleagues did — and didn’t — lift them up through their words and actions, both at the time of their diagnosis and beyond.