Community Guidelines
Community Guidelines
Peer conversations are the heart of this community. These are the shared expectations that keep the forum supportive, private, and focused on the practical work of returning to work after cancer.
Why these guidelines exist
This is a peer space for people rebuilding a working life during and after cancer treatment. The guidelines below exist for one reason: so that someone who is scared, exhausted, or unsure can post here and be met with something useful and kind.
They apply to every discussion, reply, and private message in the community, and to everyone in the room — members, moderators, and the Navigator team alike.
Last reviewed October 2026
What we ask of every member
Six shared expectations
Start from kindness
Almost everyone here is managing treatment side effects, a body that changed, or a workplace that has not caught up yet. Write the reply you would want to receive on your hardest day.
- Thank people for sharing before you offer your own view.
- Answer the question that was asked, not the one you think they should be asking.
- Skip the comparisons — no "at least…" and no ranking whose treatment was harder.
- Disagree with the idea, never with the person. Curiosity beats certainty.
- Celebrate progress at every size: a first half-day back is worth a post.
Keep it focused on work and returning to work
The forum works best when it stays close to what it is for: the practical middle of going back to work.
- On topic: accommodations, disclosure choices, schedules and hours, fatigue and focus at work, your legal rights, manager and coworker conversations, retraining and career changes.
- Peer experience, scripts that worked, and hard-won practical tips are exactly what belongs here.
- Off topic: fundraising, product or service promotion, political campaigning, and recruiting for other groups — please take those elsewhere.
- Post in the topic that fits best, so the next person searching for it can find it.
- Give enough context to get real help (your field, your stage, what you have already tried) without sharing anything that identifies you or your employer.
Protect privacy — yours and everyone else’s
People are candid here because the room is private to signed-in members. Keeping it that way is a shared job.
- Do not name employers, managers, coworkers, doctors, or clinics.
- Do not post screenshots, photos, or details that could identify a colleague or another member.
- Keep what is shared here in here. Ask the author before quoting or reposting their words anywhere else.
- Leave out medical record numbers, insurance IDs, addresses, phone numbers, and work email addresses.
- Use the anonymous option whenever you would rather not attach your name — anonymous posts are respected, never treated as less credible.
Peer support is not medical, legal, or professional advice
You can share what worked for you. You cannot prescribe it for someone else.
- Describe your own experience ("my oncologist approved a 20-hour ramp-up") rather than issuing instructions.
- Never suggest starting, changing, or stopping treatment, medication, or supplements.
- Do not diagnose, interpret test results, or predict how someone’s recovery will go.
- For questions about your own case: your oncology team for anything clinical, and a qualified attorney or legal aid service for anything legal. The Legal & Policy Hub and the Legal Rights Advisor are good starting points.
- If a post suggests someone may be in crisis, point them to the Emergency Contacts page and keep your reply warm and brief.
What is not welcome here
Some things end a conversation instead of helping it. These do not belong in the community.
- Harassment, slurs, hate speech, or discrimination of any kind.
- Medical misinformation, including claims that a treatment or product cures cancer.
- Spam, advertising, referral links, recruiting, or requests for money.
- Impersonation, or posting someone else’s story as your own.
- A third person’s medical details — including a child’s or a family member’s — shared without their consent.
Moderation, reports, and what happens next
Moderation is quiet by design. Its only job is to keep the room safe enough for people to be honest in it.
- To report a post, use the Contact page and include the post title, the topic, and what felt wrong. Reports are confidential — the author is never told who reported.
- Moderators may edit or remove a post, close a thread, or send a private reminder about these guidelines.
- An account that repeatedly causes harm may have its community access paused or permanently removed.
- Posts are removed sooner when they put a member at risk, even if the situation is not listed above.
- Urgent safety concerns are handled first and are never left for the next review.
Community FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About the Forum
Who can read the forum, how anonymity works, and what happens when a post crosses a line.
Who can read and post in the Community Forum?
The forum is private to signed-in members. Discussions are not visible to anyone who is not signed in, and they are not indexed by search engines. Creating an account is free, and once you are signed in you can read every topic, post a question, and reply to others.
Can I post or reply anonymously?
Yes. Choose the anonymous option when you post or reply and your display name will show as "Anonymous" to everyone else in the community. Anonymous posts are treated exactly like named ones. In our own records an anonymous post still belongs to your account so we can act on a report or a safety concern, but that link is never shown to other members.
Can I share or screenshot someone else’s post outside the forum?
No, not without the author’s permission. Members share candid details about their health, their employers, and their colleagues on the understanding that the room is private. Ask the author first, and never include screenshots or names alongside a quote.
Can I ask for medical or legal advice in the forum?
You can ask for peer experience, and members can describe what worked for them. You should not rely on the forum for medical or legal advice. For anything clinical, talk with your oncology team. For anything legal, speak with a qualified attorney or legal aid service — the Legal & Policy Hub and the Legal Rights Advisor are good starting points.
What happens if a post breaks the guidelines?
A moderator may edit or remove the post, close the thread, or send a private reminder about the guidelines. Accounts that repeatedly cause harm can have their community access paused or permanently removed. Posts that put a member at risk are removed first and reviewed afterwards.
How do I report a post that feels harmful or off-topic?
Use the Contact page and include the post title, its topic, and what felt wrong. Reports are confidential: the author is never told who reported the post. If someone appears to be in immediate danger, the Emergency Contacts page lists free 24/7 crisis and cancer support lines you can share with them.
Need to raise something?
Report a post, flag a safety concern, or ask a question about these guidelines at any time. You will get a reply from the Navigator team.
If you or another member needs help right now, the Emergency Contacts page lists free 24/7 crisis and cancer support lines.