Abstract

This study explored the perception of women towards cancer prevention initiatives in organisations. A total of one hundred and one (101) working class women of reproductive age (between the ages of 20 to 50 years old) participated in this study. The descriptive survey design and a convenient sampling technique were used for data collection. Two research questions were raised and answered using descriptive statistics. The result revealed that about half (47.5%) of the respondents agreed that their organisations have Human Resource (HR) policies that encourage periodic health check, 15.8% of the others disagreed, while the remaining 36.6% were undecided. Also, only few (37.6%) of the respondents agreed that their organisations organise in-house health talks and cancer screening programs on a regular basis, 18.8% disagreed while majority (43.6%) of the respondents were undecided. The result further revealed that majority of the respondents (41.6%) were undecided about their organisations’ support programs for employees diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, 37.6% agreed that such support programs exists while 20.8% disagreed. With regards to organisational culture, 34.7% of the respondents perceived their organisation’s culture as stressful and highly demanding, 25.7% disagreed and the remaining 39.6% were undecided. Finally, only 39.6% agreed that the working condition in their organizations strengthens work-life balance, 17.8% disagreed and the remaining 42.6% were undecided. The overall perception suggests that HR involvement in employee health and wellbeing is grossly inadequate. It was recommended that organisations should make deliberate plans towards ensuring periodic health checks and support programmes for their employees.