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Introducing the invisible talent pool

David Shutts OBE

David Shutts, OBE, founder of health charity ASTRiiD, looks at the issue of employees affected by cancer






 

This year, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland asked me to speak at the launch of its new guide on ‘Supporting Employees Affected by Cancer’. A former Royal Navy Commander, Vice President of Global Sales and East Midlands Regional Director who had never once set foot in Northern Ireland – on the surface I might seem like an odd choice to speak at the event.

David ShuttsThat’s until you understand that on 21 May 2015, just 10 days after my 50th birthday, I stopped being all of those things and became David Shutts, cancer patient. That day marked the start of a difficult journey that would ultimately change my life. Over that summer I’d gone from someone who had excelled in sales roles and even chased Russian submarines around the North Atlantic to someone totally lacking in self-confidence and unsure of my worth to anything or anyone.

That feeling of worthlessness is at the centre of what I came to Northern Ireland to speak about. It may have taken me a while to realise it but I was still all of the things I had been before. Cancer may have robbed me of energy and a decent chunk of body weight but it hadn’t invalidated my professionalism, skills and experience. I was still someone capable of making a great contribution and I wasn’t going to let cancer diminish my ambition.

Returning to work was the catalyst for this change of mindset. It made me feel more like my old self and helped give me a sense of accomplishment once again. Once I knew I was starting to make a genuine contribution, I started to feel a bit more positive about my life and the battle that lay ahead. It also provided me with a very welcome distraction from the day-to-day challenges posed by ill health.

I know I’m not the only person with this experience. And that’s what prompted me to found ASTRiiD (Available Skills for Training, Refreshing, Improvement, Innovation and Development), a charity dedicated to making the ‘invisible talent pool’ visible. From speaking to others in a similar boat, and there are a lot of them – Macmillan estimates that 100,000 working age people in the UK are diagnosed with cancer every year – I know that there are many people who want to continue working in some capacity in spite of their diagnosis. Others, like me, have already felt the positive benefits of returning to work.

Often these are skilled professionals, with distinguished careers and a wealth of experience behind them. My message to politicians, policy makers, employers and others is simple - don’t write us off just yet. We might have cancer, and we might need a little bit of extra help, but many of us can and are absolutely willing to make a contribution to workplaces across the country. A little bit of additional flexibility from an employer can make all the difference to helping us achieve this goal and change our lives for the better

With the UK facing a well recognised skills shortage, it makes sense to me for employers to tap into this ‘invisible talent pool’ created by the long-term sick. That’s why ASTRiiD aims to play an important bridging role between patients and employers. It helps connect people with long-term and chronic illnesses with meaningful work opportunities – ones which can give them positive focus – while benefitting employers with candidates who are ready and willing to work.

As cancer patients we have come to rely on medical advances and valuable support services. We have drugs that can treat the previously untreatable or offer additional longevity. We have equipment that can promote early diagnosis or assist us in everyday life. We have support services that can help us to cope with our diagnoses and the effect they have on our loved ones. The only thing I found missing from this mix was the sense of self achievement that only work can provide – for me, that really was the best medicine.

For most employers reading this, the things I have spoken about will seem like a no brainer. Many companies across the UK have worked extremely hard to improve inclusiveness and diversity in their workforces and will recognise that this represents an affirmation or small extension to policies they already have in place.

Unfortunately, as I know from speaking to other cancer patients, policy and practice aren’t always as aligned as we’d like.
 

That’s why I’m so grateful to the Equality Commission for inviting me to Belfast to share my experience and for launching such a valuable tool to help support employees affected by cancer. This could be an important first step in helping cancer patients to once again experience the dignity of work. While all patients are different and no two cancer journeys are ever the same, there are a set of common qualities that unite the people I’ve met through ASTRiiD. They are determined, courageous in the face of adversity, skilled and experienced – the type of people I would be proud to work alongside.

My final question to employers is this - isn’t it time you helped to bring the ‘invisible talent pool’ into the light?



Sign up as a business partner or become a member at https://astriid.force.com/s/ or follow on Twitter: @Astriid_No1
 




 

Posted on 19 Feb 2018 by Frank Fleming