Cancer is no longer something we, as employers, can afford to treat as a rare occurrence in our workforce. It’s here. Rates are rising—especially among people under 50—and it’s hitting closer to home than many of us anticipated.
We’ve both seen firsthand the impact cancer can have on employees’ lives—physically, emotionally, and financially. As a benefits leader and a healthcare partner, we’ve put our heads together to answer a critical question: What can employers actually do to reduce cancer’s impact in the workplace, especially in the face of more working age people being diagnosed with cancer?
Here’s what we’ve learned, and what’s actually working.
The new face of cancer in the workforce
Today, we’re seeing a dramatic shift in who is being diagnosed with cancer. Screenable and highly treatable cancers like breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate are rising among younger adults, especially those in their 30s and 40s. These aren’t retirees or older employees thinking about winding down their careers. They’re people in the prime of their working lives, managing teams, leading departments, and raising families on the homefront.
At Universal Music Group (UMG), this shift didn’t go unnoticed. We began to see more cases of younger employees facing cancer diagnoses and quickly realized that our traditional benefits structures weren’t built for this new reality. It wasn’t enough to have a patchwork of treatment options available, or simple navigation support. We needed a different approach, one that encompassed all aspects of the cancer journey, starting long before a diagnosis, to individually stratify risk across the workforce, identify gaps, and get people up to date on their screenings to avoid cancer, or catch it early.
Meeting younger employees where they are - with real results
This sounds good in theory, but it’s much more difficult in practice. For many younger employees, cancer is not on their radar. “It’s not a young person’s disease,” something to worry about much later in life. If they do happen to be aware of their risks, the traditional model of care—waiting weeks for appointments, navigating referrals, and figuring out next steps largely on their own—just doesn’t fit their lives. These employees are digital-first, time-strapped, and they are often balancing careers with family responsibilities, all at once. If we expect them to engage with their health, especially around something as serious as cancer, the experience needs to be radically simpler and more accessible.
From the beginning, UMG and Color Health set out to implement a cancer program focused on convenience, speed, and lifestyle fit. Employees can complete at-home testing kits without ever needing to step into a clinic. If results require follow-up, they’re connected quickly with oncology experts for virtual consultations—no confusing handoffs, no endless appointment scheduling, no carving out time to travel long distances to specialists. Just clear, supportive guidance on their terms, with the logistical aspects handled for them.
The results thus far have been encouraging. In our first year, 20 to 30% of eligible members enrolled in the program. Further, 56% of UMG employees identified as needing one or more screenings have now completed at least one. And while the numbers tell a compelling story, it’s the feedback from employees, who feel supported and empowered, that has made the biggest impact.
For today’s workforce, especially Gen X and millennials, healthcare needs to feel as easy to use as the apps on their phones. This model delivers on that expectation—and helps them take meaningful steps to protect their health without disrupting their lives.
Prioritizing equity in access and outcomes
One of the most promising aspects of this initiative has been how it’s helping us reach populations that are often overlooked. The median age of enrollees in the UMG cancer program is just under 40 years old, and 62% of participants were assigned female at birth—far exceeding their representation in the eligible population (UMG data). Additionally, 18% of enrollees identified as Hispanic or Latino, showing us that proactive outreach and easy-to-access tools can truly engage all demographics within the workforce.
Overall, employers are seeing a 77% increase in screening adherence with Color’s program (Color data). Prioritizing convenience, meeting employees where they are, and offering things like translation services and convenient testing to eliminate scheduling and travel barriers, increases the likelihood that employees will participate. You can roll out the best possible solution for cancer, but if nobody enrolls, it doesn’t stand a chance!
Don’t forget the caregivers
Cancer doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed—it impacts entire families and workplaces. Caregivers, in particular, often shoulder a heavy emotional and physical burden, yet remain largely unsupported by traditional benefits plans. Research shows that caregivers are 46% more likely to suffer from severe depression and 53% more likely to experience anxiety. Fatigue, sleep disruption, and burnout are common.
That’s why our approach includes caregivers as a critical part of the equation. Nearly 10% of the individuals enrolled in our program are either caregivers or cancer survivors themselves. And more than 10% were dependents, showing that this is very much a family issue—not just an employee issue.
Building trust through communication
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned along the way is that no matter how robust your benefits are, they won’t make a difference if employees don’t know about them or don’t feel safe using them.
At UMG, we’ve worked hard to break down those barriers. We launched a public-facing benefits microsite (no login required) so that employees and their families can access support any time, not just during business hours. We’ve also made it easier for employees to reach out directly in moments of crisis. Sometimes that means giving them a personal number to text or call when they need help. That kind of accessibility builds trust, and trust is essential when someone’s life has been upended by a cancer diagnosis.
Benefits leaders need to be more than administrators of policy. We have to be advocates, listeners, and, most importantly, visible and accessible when our employees need help.
What you can do today
If you’re reading this as a benefits leader or employer, we encourage you to start by asking some hard questions: Are your employees aware of their cancer risks, based on lifestyle and family history? Are they getting screened at the right time? Do they know what to do if they’re diagnosed? Do YOU as a benefits leader know what to do in these circumstances? Are your plans built to support the emotional toll of survivorship, and return-to-work for cancer survivors? And are your employees’ caregivers receiving the help they need?
After answering these questions at UMG, we realized we lacked the support necessary for our employees and needed a solution 100% focused on cancer. It’s THAT big of an issue.
Investing in early detection, mental health support, flexible work arrangements, and equity-focused outreach isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart, sustainable business strategy. The cost of inaction is simply too high: every cancer detected one stage earlier yields $63,000 in savings per patient, and a 2-3x better chance of survival, on average.
Taking control over cancer
Yes, cancer is complex. Yes, it’s hard, and often seems like something that just happens. But with the right mindset, the right partnerships, and a commitment to care, we can do more than react to it. We can take control.
We’ve seen the power of this work firsthand, and we’re committed to helping other employers do the same. It’s not just about saving money—it’s about saving lives, and making the workplace one where people feel supported through whatever challenges come their way.
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