When you're ill

If you are living with HIV it's important that you understand what to do if you feel ill while you are working. Sometimes you can even plan ahead, for example if you know you are about to start new medications and may experience side-effects as a result.

Side-effects

If you are about to start or change medications, you may be worried about managing any side-effects when you are in the workplace. Planning ahead can be invaluable here.

Here are some things to consider:

• It may be possible for your doctor to sign you off or you could book some annual leave to avoid starting your new treatments at the same time as you are managing work.
• Is it possible for you to reduce the amount of work you have for the period directly after you start on new drugs? This may be easier if you have disclosed your status to your employer.
• Even when colleagues do know your status, managing side-effects like nausea and drowsiness can be difficult. If your employer doesn’t know your status, have a think about where you could get some support or who you could turn to for help.
• Remember there are other professionals at your clinic apart from your doctor who can help. Dieticians, clinical nurse specialists and health advisors will all have experience of helping people manage side-effects and may have some useful tips.

For most people, any side-effects of HIV medication usually settle down and get less severe over the first few weeks. In the few cases where they don’t, you can always speak to your doctor about ways to manage the side-effects or even about changing treatments.

Taking time off sick

Your employer should treat HIV-related illness in exactly the same way as it treats other illnesses. If you have a minor illness which means you need a few days off work, you should be treated in the same way as any other employee with a minor illness. If you constantly need time off work for illness, you should be treated the same way as any other employee with a chronic illness. Your employer should only be concerned with your ability to do your job.

Check the parts of your contract that cover what happens if you’re sick. If you have any questions you can call THT Direct for information on your rights.

Your employer's responsibilities

Your employer may have an obligation to relieve the burden if you are suffering a lot of stress in the workplace. Employers have a legal duty to look after your mental welfare as well as your physical health. They are entitled, though, to assume you can cope with the day-to-day pressures of your job in most cases.

If you've disclosed your HIV status your employer has a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments, in addition to their general duty of care. For example, they could allow you to work more flexible hours, move you to a more suitable post (if one is available) or discount your 'disability-related absences'; that is, any absence from work related to HIV-related illness.

If you feel that you are becoming stressed about your work for any reason - perhaps because there has been an increase in your workload - it is very important that you tell your employer. This will give them an opportunity to do something about it. It is particularly important to do this if you need to take sick leave because of stress.

If your employer does not do enough to reduce the stress you are under at work, you may have the right to take legal action against them. For example, if you suffer a stress-related mental illness because of your work, you may be entitled to compensation from your employer. Contact THT Direct to find out what you should do about this.

Employers' advice

If you are an employer and you'd like to find out about your duties and responsibilities regarding HIV in the workplace, you can find more details on our Employers page.