Workplace Adjustments
A good employer will take measures to provide reasonable adjustment s to staff with HIV and AIDS related illnesses. These will vary with the individual but could include flexible working hours, opportunities for rest breaks, time off for medical appointments, flexible sick leave, part time work and return to work arrangements.
Reasonable adjustments for people living with HIV often have little or no cost. They can include things like providing a fridge for storing medication, or enabling people to have time off for treatment (such as physiotherapy, or to monitor their condition). They do not always involve physical changes to the workplace, and are often very simple to implement.
Someone newly diagnosed with HIV might have different needs from someone who has already adjusted to their HIV treatment, for example.
Some examples of reasonable adjustments
- An employee being diagnosed as HIV positive may initially require more support from both you as an employer as well as accessing outside support services.
- The side effects of taking medication can be more acute in the early stages as the person gets used to the treatment. Employers need to be mindful that during this period of adjustment the employee may require to attend hospital more frequently to monitor the effectiveness of the drug regime as well as experiencing side effects as the body gets used to the treatment.
- Some adjustments employers can make for people living with HIV include; providing a rest room for staff who suffer bouts of fatigue, providing a space where staff can take their medication in private and should they need it, a designated fridge for staff to store medication, and flexibility in time off for medical appointments.
- Employers should also ensure that they have good provision for HIV in their equal opportunities policies. They should make a clear statement in their policy about non-discrimination against people living with HIV. This should also be reflected in their recruitment processes and policies.
The adjustments required for an HIV positive employee will therefore be minor and in the majority of cases short-term. They will relate to flexibility in the approach to work and hours, and to the physical working environment.
A short list of reasonable adjustments that could be implemented
- Flexible working hours
- Job sharing
- Sufficient or flexible breaks
- Time off for medical appointments
- Access to quiet area for breaks or to take medication
- Access to a canteen, kitchen or facilities for appropriate food at time required by anti-retroviral therapy
- Desk location near toilet facilities
- It can be as minor as providing a cushion for the employee
- Provision of workplace policies that incorporate HIV
Last updated April 2010