‘We already had a supportive environment for people living with HIV working and volunteering for PPAT. However this did not go far enough and was not reflected through an HIV workplace policy. In April 2009, in order to show that we practise what we preach, we began to develop an HIV workplace policy to formally adopt into our Constitution.
There are many benefits to adopting an HIV workplace policy. It will ensure that we continue to have a non-stigmatizing work environment with positive attitudes towards people living with HIV and will improve the quality of the services we provide. As part of the policy there will be ongoing training for all staff and volunteers. This will cover HIV prevention and treatment, legal and ethical issues, stigma and discrimination, and how best to support colleagues, family or friends who are living with HIV. The training will help staff and volunteers to provide non-stigmatizing services and to better understand some of the varied needs of people living with HIV. The policy will also mean that we will actively encourage people living with HIV to apply to PPAT positions, to take part in projects and to volunteer for us. This meaningful involvement of people living with HIV will help us to further improve our HIV projects as a result.
The workplace policy was formally adopted in April 2010 and implementation is currently underway. Developing and implementing a workplace policy is another step forward in our response to HIV. It shows that we are a proactive employer with regard to HIV issues and will help us to be a role model for other sexual and reproductive health and HIV organisations in Thailand.
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