Weekend for HIV Positive Gay and Bi Men Working in HIV

posted: 16/09/2010

Double the Impact? This is name for our free full weekend workshop for gay and bisexual men who are both living with HIV and  working in the HIV sector. Are you a gay or bisexual man living with HIV? Do you work in the HIV sector, or in any role which involves supporting or advising other HIV positive people?
If so, this Double the Impact?  Saturday and Sunday weekend workshop is for you.
 

The course – which is not residential – is an opportunity for workers to:

• discuss the impact of working in HIV while living with HIV
• examine the role that HIV plays in personal and professional life
• look at ways of coping with the impact HIV work has
• share experiences and hear from others
• examine personal support networks and their usefulness
• plan for the future

When?       Saturday October 2nd (9.30am start) to Sunday October 3rd (3.30pm finish)
Where?     George House Trust, Ardwick Green, Manchester
 

The course is facilitated by Colin Armstead, Service and Development Manager, George House Trust
 

Please note that you will be responsible for your own travel and accommodation arrangements and costs. We will provide lunch on the Saturday and Sunday.
 

Book Now        Places for this weekend workshop are strictly limited – and there are only a few paces left. If you would like to take part, please email Colin at George House Trust to say you are interested and he will send you an application form.
 

This weekend is free and funded by the Elton John Aids Foundation
 

Working Life and New Rights

posted: 05/05/2010

The Equalities Act squeezed through Parliament just before the election. In October it will be law that you can use. What difference might it make to the world of work for people with HIV?
 

What’s new? 
In work situations the main new disability rights are:

• A ban on most health related questions until after a job offer is made - so asking if you have HIV or details of any health problems and absences will be barred - until they have offered the job. There are some exemptions- for example they will be able to ask if you require any adjustments to be able to carry out a task during your job selection / interview, or to ask if you are a ‘disabled person’ on a simple equality monitoring form.
• Introduction of ‘protected characteristics’ – ‘disability ‘ is one of these . Protected characteristics are the groups and situations where people have legal protection from discrimination. Protected from discrimination are people with disabilities (this includes everyone with HIV), sexuality, gender, race, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, and religion or belief.
• Discrimination by Association. This protects people from discrimination when they are associated with a person with protected characteristics – eg the HIV negative / untested partner of someone with HIV will also be protected. So refusing a job to a HIV negative (or untested) gay man for fear that he might have HIV and need time off work, would be illegal disability discrimination.
• Discrimination by Perception. Someone may mistakenly believe you are a disabled person and discriminate against you because of this. This is now illegal too.
• Combined Discrimination. People can now claim direct discrimination for up to 2 protected characteristics – so you could claim discrimination both about HIV and race, or HIV and gender, or HIV and sexuality – or any other combination. 
• Detriment Arising from Disability. This gives back the legal right not to face ‘less favourable treatment’ – court decisions made this difficult to win. For example sacking someone for taking reasonable time off for a HIV clinic appointment is wrong – it is an impairment-related absence. The employer would have to prove the dismissal was a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
• Duty to make reasonable adjustments – this is now a little better - employers now have to provide auxiliary aids or services to remove any disadvantage the person experiences.
• There’s a broader definition of disability to include more people, but everyone with HIV is already protected as ‘ disabled.’ This therefore helps some people who don’t have HIV. People now only have to show that any impairment they may have has a “substantial and long term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

More Information

For more background, and for an easy read summary of the Act, visit the Equalities Office website

Eversheds (they are lawyers) Guide to the Act for Employers
Equality and Human Rights Commission:
HR Magazine article

Source - Breakthrough UK

Working with HIV

posted: 27/08/2009

'Working with HIV' is the first major survey of what it is like to be living with HIV and in paid work in the UK. George House Trust service users and staff contributed a lot of information and ideas to this new report from NAT (National AIDS Trust).
 

The research may surprise many because it shows that the health effects of HIV have little impact on very many people’s ability to work - thanks to better treatment. However the stigma surrounding HIV still creates barriers in work.

1,800 gay men living with HIV took part in the survey, which was helped greatly by focus groups of gay men and black Africans living with HIV. 38 people joined several focus groups across the country including in Manchester. The research, conducted with City University, London, is summarised in the report ‘Working with HIV’. 
 

The Guardian report on this includes an interview with Andy Hewlett, a Metropolitan police officer working in London, who was diagnosed with HIV 15 years ago.

More than half say HIV has no impact on their work
The research found people with HIV working in a wide range of jobs at all levels. Over half (58 per cent) surveyed said living with HIV had no impact on their working life. However one in ten people said treatment side effects did have some effect. Being diagnosed with HIV or changing treatments were also flash-points when HIV had an impact.
 

1 in 3 have no time off for HIV
Despite this, over a third (34 per cent) had not taken any days off to attend HIV clinic appointments in the previous 12 months.
 

Telling people at work goes well for most
60 per cent had told someone at work about their HIV, over three-quarters of whom (77 per cent) reported a generally positive reaction. But fear of something bad happening if you tell someone at work bothers almost 1 in 3.

 Not telling people at work was usually explained by saying there was ‘no-need’, although 53 per cent feared poor treatment and 57 per cent worried their confidentiality would be breached.
 

Discrimination
1 in 5 of the people who had told someone at work about their HIV had experienced discrimination in their current or previous job. The most common forms of discrimination were being treated differently, or excluded from things, and breaches of confidentiality. 4 out of 10 people who had disclosed their HIV status and then faced discrimination in a previous job believed they had lost their job because of their disclosure at work.
 

Lessons for employers
The research looked into what kinds of reasonable adjustments people with HIV asked their employers for. The most common requested were

• time off to go to clinic appointment, and
• flexibility over working hours.

Both of these are simple and inexpensive requests for employers to agree.
 

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, comments:
“The overall picture for people with HIV at work is a positive one. It is important for employers and HR [Human Resources] professionals to realise that people with HIV can and do make valuable contributions to the UK workforce. Today, often it is not the health of people with HIV that affects their working ability but attitudes of employers or colleagues.
A cultural change is needed in workplaces across the UK. Simple, proactive steps by employers to show they are understand HIV and would be supportive of disclosure will have a dramatic effect on the working lives of people with HIV.” 
 

Professor Jonathan Elford, City University, London, comments:
“This is the first large-scale research project in the UK to explore the experiences at work of people living with HIV. This kind of research is vital for building up a true picture of the reality of living and working with HIV in the UK today as well as the challenges people still face.
The overall picture presented by the study is a positive one. People with HIV who had a job were generally satisfied with their working lives. Yet, important areas for improvement remain. Disclosing your HIV status at work remains difficult; discrimination still goes on; and some people are still unaware of their employment rights under the Disability Discrimination Act. In addition, fewer people with HIV have jobs compared to the national average.” 
 

Recommendations for employers and HR professionals include:

• Have a specific policy that addresses HIV and incorporates it into diversity or disability training
• Understand their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the sorts of adjustments that people living with HIV may need in the workplace and the ease with which they can be accommodated
• Take proactive steps to raise awareness of HIV at work (e.g. by marking World AIDS Day)

summary of the report Working with HIV

full report Working with HIV

For information and resources about HIV at work from NAT such as free to download Employers pack

Employment and HIV Survey

posted: 08/12/2008

If you are a gay or bisexual man, and working, please help fix problems at work by joining a simple online survey. George House Trust is working closely with NAT on a number of the employment problems faced by many people living with HIV. NAT has now booked independent researchers from City University London, supported by Levi Strauss and hosted by Gaydar.

So if you tick all these boxes

• a member of gaydar - if you are not a member already you can register here 
• a gay or bisexual man
• in full-time or part-time paid work
• over 18
• living in the UK

please join the survey here. Men, HIV positive or not are wanted to join the survey. George House Trust and NAT are keen for as many gay and bisexual men living with HIV to take part. If you are not HIV positive, don't know or aren't sure, you are also encouraged to join in the survey.

This is just one of the ways that we are working across the national HIV sector to help raise awareness and bring about positive change for people living with HIV.

Help spread the word

Send the Permalink for this page to any gay or bisexual men who may be interested in helping, HIV positive or not.