Limpho Sello
HUMAN resource (HR) consultancy company, Workplace Solutions will next week hold a masterclass for companies to equip them with strategies of implementing action-based HIV and AIDS policies to help fight the pandemic in the workplace and the country in general.
HR Consultants representative, Lerato Sekoati yesterday told the Lesotho Times that there were activities that had to be undertaken by organisations in order to implement an effective HIV/AIDS policy.
She said her organisation had been established by a group of people who had been in the field of human resources for several years which had enabled them to develop expert solutions to human resource issues in companies.
“Each member has an area of specialty that gives them an expert voice and therefore each of them can contribute to ensuring that all human resource needs of an organisation are met,” Ms Sekoati said.
She said any HIV/AIDS policy “must incorporate activities that help modify or change perceptions and behaviour”.
Ms Sekoati said they would host Alan Brand of the Positively Alive (a South African employee wellness consultancy) at Avani Maseru next Friday to share expert advice on establishing an action-based HIV/AIDS policy.
Alan Brand is a leading expert in the development and provision of innovative employee wellness strategies enabling business enterprises throughout South Africa to mitigate the threat of HIV and AIDS and other associated health and wellness risks.
As an HIV positive manager, Alan is well aware of challenges in the workplace of managing HIV programmes and policies and he has developed numerous outcomes-based wellness training modules. He is a sought-after motivational speaker, conference facilitator and training provider.
Ms Sekoati said they would also conduct the workplace HIV and Aids Champion Master-Class “for the HIV and AIDS Champions in organisations”.
“One of the questions that always comes up when deciding on HIV activities is whether the activity is effective and this is one of the points that the class will cover.
“After these classes, they should be no new infections in organisations in 2017,” Ms Sekoati said.
Ms Sekoati said they decided to come up with the idea after noting the negative effects of the high HIV prevalence in Lesotho.
“2016 came with so many trials and tribulations that we as society and as employers had little ability to influence.
“Not least of these was the fact that we learnt that Lesotho had the highest prevalence of new infections of HIV and this was distressing on many different levels.
“In the first instance – Are we losing more of our populations than we can afford and who will run the economy? Secondly, does this mean that more and more of scarce resources are going to be used on medication and lastly, how many of our staff are going to be unavailable or unproductive,” Ms Sekoati asked rhetorically.
