Every Three Minutes

One objective of the Healthy Workplace Initiative is to build awareness of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle for yourself and for the good of your company.

“Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are types of cancer that can affect the bone marrow, the blood cells, the lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system.  Approximately every 3 minutes one person in the United States (US) is diagnosed with a blood cancer.  In 2016, there were an estimated 15.5 million cancer survivors in the United States  Of these, an estimated 1,345,123 people in the US are either living with or are in remission from, leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma”. (LLS.org and ACC.org)

Ask yourself and your HR staff:
What implications does this have upon my person and workplace? 
What can HR staffs do to prepare for key employees that may receive a diagnosis of cancer?
What policies can be instituted to ensure a workplace is healthy for a person with a diagnosis of cancer?
What would YOU like to see implemented if YOU were the one diagnosed?

I was the key employee of a non-profit in 2004 when I was diagnosed with a stage four blood cancer.  Consider what your workplace would be like if the key leadership received a cancer diagnosis followed by treatments. Establishing a culture of proactive as well as reactive health support in the workplace is to everyone’s benefit.  In Northern Virginia’s highly demanding business climate, a lack of margin and allowance for the ramifications of a cancer diagnosis and treatment will exacerbate the toll on both personal and company productivity.  Consider getting ahead of the curve with a think tank and initiate a policy with both proactive and reactive elements to keep your person and workplace healthy and thriving.  By the time you finished reading this, another person was diagnosed with a blood cancer. 

Craig Burns-Realtor and Cancer Survivor/Overcomer
Redux Realty Keller Williams Reston


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