There are many common misconceptions and wrong assumptions regarding HIV/Aids at work
Can a HIV-positive person practice any kind of job?
Does a recruiter have the right to ask about the health condition of an applicant during a job interview?
How can the applicant react in the face of such a question?
What is the relation between a medical officer and an employer?
What are the risks of having a HIV-positive co-worker?
Can HIV positivity be a ground for dismissal?
The questions are many, and so are the answers... However, labour law is the same for everyone and the ways the disease can be transmitted are clearly identified!
The "HIV/Aids at Work" mission has thus chosen to provide clear information to all people concerned with the issues of HIV/Aids and work, such as company heads, human resources managers, medical officers, staff representatives, integration professionals, people living with HIV… in order to promote the access to, return to or keeping in employment of HIV-positive persons.
Awareness and education actions in the "HIV/Aids at Work" programme
There are many kinds of awareness and education actions:
- Organising local meetings (round tables) with different local partners from the business world, professional integration and training organisations, Aids fighting associations, institutions...
- Organising meetings, exchanges and discussions in firms, union offices, … on the issue of HIV/Aids in the workplace.
- Training sessions for professional integration and career counselling professionals.
Raising awareness and promoting good practices favouring professional integration and job keeping in the "Chronic Progressive Pathologies at Work" programme
Inter-association actions have to be undertaken to support people affected by a chronic progressive pathology with a professional project. The awareness of professional integration and counselling professionals must also be raised, for if affected people have a bad knowledge of professional integration measures, the reverse is also, sadly, true. In practical terms, professionals have to be trained on how to counsel and guide people affected by a chronic progressive disease who are looking for employment.
When it comes to keeping in employment, a first step involves having the awareness of medical officers raised by their peers. Their knowledge must be improved on the issue of keeping in employment people suffering from a disability, who are affected by a chronic progressive pathology.
The other big issue is keeping people in employment and fighting discrimination.
In practical terms, tools such as the business agreement on "chronic progressive pathology aware correspondents" have to be created in order to make it possible to listen to, counsel and support employees who would have difficulties in marrying their chronic disease and their job. Employees, employers and staff representatives as a whole also have to be informed on these diseases and their impacts on the personal and professional lives of people who are affected. In short, to inform and raise awareness in the world of work.
What means ?
- Awareness raising tools
- Awareness raising actions and trainings
What public ?
- Players in the business world (private or public) such as company heads, human resources managers, recruiters, medical officers, staff representatives, members of the CHSCT (Comité d’hygiène, de sécurité et des conditions de travail – Occupational Hygiene, Safety and Working Conditions Committee), works council members, union representatives...
- Professional integration, counselling and training professionals, who work in bodies such as Cap Emploi (for the integration of disabled workers), the ANPE (French national employment agency), local missions, careers guidance centres, training centres…
- HIV-positive persons who are looking for a job or already have one, AIDES volunteers and users, etc.
