Publicis Groupe : The Working with Cancer Pledge Launches Screening Time Off With Leading Global Companies to Remove Workplace Barriers to Preventive Care

The Working with Cancer Pledge Launches Screening Time Off

With Leading Global Companies to Remove Workplace Barriers to Preventive Care

Research reveals 20 million US workers neglect to use time off from work for cancer screening; up to 100,000 American lives could be saved annually through advanced screening efforts¹

Two years on from launch of Working with Cancer, Publicis continues its mission to end the stigma of cancer in the workplace; remove workplace barriers to obtaining preventative care

Aligned to World Cancer Day, launch film features Jenna Fischer encouraging workers to prioritize life-saving health screenings; Times Square takeover and campaign supported by $20M in donated media

Paris – February 3, 2024 – La Fondation Publicis today launches the latest initiative from the Working with Cancer Pledge: Screening Time Off, an awareness campaign rallying companies to encourage their employees to take the time to get necessary cancer screenings, with program support from Accor, AXA, HPE, L’Oreal, Merck, Nestle, Pfizer, Sanofi and UBS.

Since its launch two years ago at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the award-winning global Working with Cancer Pledge has united more than 2,500 companies to erase the stigma of cancer in the workplace and building recovery-forward cultures for more than 35 million employees. Screening Time Off takes this commitment further, enlisting employers to increase screening compliance across their organizations to make a greater impact.

Nearly half of all cancer deaths are preventable². Caught early, many common cancers have survival rates well over 90%³. But too many people delay or skip cancer screenings due to work. In the US, 7 in 10 people say they are behind on one or more screenings⁴, and 25% of the working population don’t use the paid time or workplace benefits made available by their companies for those checkups⁵. Publicis has calculated that up to 100,000 American lives could be saved annually through raised awareness and lifted screening compliance as a result of the program⁵. 

Screening Time Off provides tangible tools and resources empowering companies to flexibly address common barriers that their employees experience in identifying existing policies and benefits. Pledging companies are taking the steps to encourage employees to use time off with resources spanning multi-media communication assets, activation guides, FAQs, outreach templates, customizable films and more. After receiving messaging about the benefits of early detection, over 70% of people say they are more likely to schedule their next screening⁴.

La Fondation Publicis is joined in this mission by actor and breast cancer advocate Jenna Fischer, who is lending her voice to tangibly address the critical need for employers to create accessible pathways for employees to prioritize preventive care. Fischer, who has been vocal about her own early detection and treatment of stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer, stars in the campaign film launched in correlation to World Cancer Day 2025.

View video here

Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe: “In just two years, Working with Cancer’s mission to break down the stigma of cancer in the workplace has touched the lives of over 35 million employees, across 2500 leading companies worldwide. Now, we’re taking that commitment even further with Screening Time Off—a bold new initiative to remove the barriers to life-saving preventative care. By encouraging employees to take time for cancer screenings, we’re saving lives by ensuring that early detection doesn’t take a back seat to work. It’s a crucial step in our commitment to building healthier, recovery-forward workforces globally.”

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About Publicis Groupe – The Power of One
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in communication. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation. Publicis Groupe is a privileged partner in its clients’ transformation to enhance personalization at scale. The Groupe relies on ten expertise concentrated within four main activities: Communication, Media, Data and Technology. Through a unified and fluid organization, its clients have a facilitated access to all its expertise in every market. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs around 103,000 professionals.

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Contacts

1 Publicis Health Custom Research, 2025, Based on US standard of care for screened cancers; SEER and WHO reported incidence of screened cancers; US census data of fully-employed adults by age and gender.
2 Study: Proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in the United States, 2019
3 American Cancer Society
4 PreventCancer.Org: 2024 Early Detection Survey
5 Statista: Number of sick days taken in the past 12 months