Publicis Groupe has announced a new phase of its Working with Cancer initiative, following research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic.
Since launching at the World Economic Forum three years ago, Working With Cancer has grown into a global initiative covering more than 40 million workers across 5,000 companies worldwide.
Research led by Victoria Blinder and Gina Mazza has found evidence linking sustained employment, or return to work, after a cancer diagnosis with improved health-related quality of life.
However, workplace conditions can influence these outcomes, highlighting the need for flexibility, understanding and appropriate accommodations during treatment and recovery.
The study found employed cancer survivors had about 28% better overall quality of life and 29% higher physical functioning at five years, and were significantly less likely to report moderate-to-severe depression (3.7x) and anxiety (2.4x) than those unemployed.
AI coach for cancer support in the workplace
Companies that sign the Working With Cancer pledge can access the coach, which supports them in adapting health, benefits and workplace policies to each employee’s needs.
It is built on Large Language Models and designed to address pain points experienced by patients, managers, and HR and benefits leads, with purpose-built safeguards.
The AI system draws from curated, vetted resources from Working With Cancer’s expert partners to deliver accurate, transparent responses while avoiding the risks associated with open-internet health queries.
A task-specific, multi-agent architecture provides context-aware guidance to cancer patients, managers, and colleagues, while strict boundaries prevent medical diagnosis. Privacy and anonymity are foundational, with no data retained beyond each session.
A campaign calling on employers to act
With evidence linking work, under the right conditions, to better health outcomes for cancer patients, Working With Cancer is launching a global campaign to encourage more companies to sign the pledge.
A film created by Publicis Conseil and backed by $100 million in pro bono media from partners including Disney, Google, Zeta Global, TikTok, NBCUniversal, Paramount, iHeartMedia, Westwood One, Clear Channel Outdoor, Captivate, Screenvision and NCM shows employers are not peripheral to the cancer experience.
Directed by stage IV cancer survivor and award-winning filmmaker Kailee McGee, it features survivors from all walks of life, including CEOs, celebrities and employees from Walmart, L’Oréal, Pfizer, Barclays, Accenture and Carrefour, sharing how working helped them maintain normalcy and control during treatment.