Studies show that the age of diagnosis for breast cancer patients is 10 years younger in the UAE than in the rest of the world. This means that breast cancer awareness isn’t just for your female employees over the age of 40. To offer your employees the support they deserve to live a healthier life, here are 6 ideas you can do to have fun, raise awareness and provide resources:
Pink It Up
Since pink is the colour of Breast Cancer Awareness, why not go all in? Decorate the office or cafeteria all in pink. Give out pink ribbons. Offer pink manicures.
While breast cancer is a very serious epidemic, this is also an opportunity to celebrate the individuals who had cancer. Raise awareness for those who are just now approaching the age of screenings.
Pink Pastries
As a fun treat, offer a buffet of pink pastries that employees can enjoy throughout the day. Nothing wakes you up like a shot of sugar in the afternoon. Your employees are sure to feel appreciated by this effort.
Story Time
Gather your employees together to sit and listen to the stories of former breast cancer patients and family members. They can also share details not always found on the internet and raise more awareness. Hearing these stories from their peers can be inspiring and give hope.
Organise a Hair Donation Drive
Hair is intimately linked to identity, and one of the most traumatic parts of cancer therapy is hair loss. Contributing to high-quality wigs for cancer patients is a great team-building activity and a wonderful way to support those going through cancer treatment.
If you want to organise a drive, you’ll need to plan ahead. Let your employees know that if they want to participate, they need at least 8-10 inches of hair. Choose a hair donation foundation that aligns with your company’s values. And then hire several hair stylists to come in and cut hair.
Schedule a Breast Cancer Screening Drive
Women especially have difficulty taking the time to invest in their own health. And there are many stories of women who put on the pink ribbon, but failed to get screened and lived to regret it.
Offer education to your employees about the importance of breast cancer screenings. This should be for at the routine age and for those who have histories of breast cancer in their families. Don’t forget to include men in your communication. They too can get breast cancer. Then, walk them through the process of scheduling a screening.
You may find, through this, that you have several employees who are ignorant about their company insurance policy, which doctors they can choose from, and how to set up an appointment. Be prepared to answer their questions and help them get the prevention they deserve.
Create Wellness Challenges
While you can’t necessarily jog your way free of cancer, a healthy body is obviously an asset when going through the gruelling process of cancer treatment.
Organise a weekly wellness challenge throughout the month of October to get your employees eating healthier, drinking more water and exercising. Try to make these challenges fun by offering prizes such as a free “casual day” pass or a “work-from-home” day. Continue these with the start of Dubai’s 30×30 Fitness Challenge on 29 October 2021.
Supporting employees during breast cancer awareness month doesn’t have to break the budget. These little ideas will go a long way toward making your employees feel appreciated and supported. More importantly, you make them more aware of how to care for their health.
Could your company benefit from a holistic and sustainable well-being program? Yes, but you don’t have the resources to organise and maintain it? Contact us. We work with small to mid-sized companies to fill in the gaps in your forward-looking programmes while staying within your organisation’s budget.