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HIV/AIDS - ISSUES FOR THE

WORKPLACE

PRINCIPLES, PLANNING,POLICY, PROGRAMMES

AND

PROJECT PARTICIPATION

Preamble

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Only fifteen years ago, if one had calledbusiness, labour, government and nongovernment representatives together todiscuss how to deal with the AIDS epidemic,most would not have even more than afleeting idea of what it was, let alone why theyshould discuss it. Today, companies have losttop managers, workers have lost colleaguesand huge amounts of time, energy andemotion have been spent pre-occupied withissues of illness and loss. Whole familieshave collapsed, while companies strugglingagainst a background of chronic poverty havetaken on deeper burdens of dependency

Ten Workplace Facts(1)

•^

Fact

• The crisis is immense - AIDS is a real problem affecting

workers and business operations - many companies are losingaround 3% of their workers to AIDS each year

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Fact

• 80% of HIV transmission in Southern Africa occurs due to

heterosexual sex

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Fact

• Young adults have the highest levels of infection and our

nation’s economically active population, parents of youngchildren and future leaders are at greatest risk

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Fact

• AIDS will decrease life expectancy in South Africa by 20

years to about 40 by the year 2008

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Fact

• HIV has increased the burden of ill health and mortality in

the 15 - 50 year age group two to three fold. According to theILO, an average of 15 years of working life will be lost peremployee due to AIDS

Ten Workplace Facts(2)

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Fact

• The indirect costs of HIV/AIDS are greater than

the direct costs. The costs of lost time have beenconsistently shown to be the most significant costs tocompanies

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Fact

• HIV infected persons have 5 - 10 years on

average of asymptomatic productive working life. Thisperiod can be lengthened by health promotion andstress management.

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Fact

• Transmission of HIV poses little or no risk in most

work settings

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Fact

• Averting an HIV infection through prevention

programmes yields a cost benefit ratio to companies ofanything from 1:2 to 1:

-^

Fact

• The workplace is an appropriate and important

setting for AIDS programmes because workers spend asignificant amount of time at work.

Ten Workplace Principles(2)

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Principle 4: Education needs to be complemented bysupportive services

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Principle 5: AIDS programmes in the workplace canhelp control the epidemic and reduce the impact onbusinesses

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Principle 6: Effective AIDS prevention yieldsenormous savings in averted AIDS costs

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Principle 7: The most powerful change agents areour friends and peers

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Principle 8: The involvement of people living withHIV/AIDS is central to an effective workplaceprogramme

Ten Workplace Principles(3)

•^

Principle 9: AIDS programmes must be simple,specific, concrete and verifiable. Use coremanagement principles (simplicity, focus, precisetargets, strong performance monitoring) and anexplicit results chain (required inputs, outputs,outcomes and impacts)

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Principle 10: Strategies and projects in areas ofeconomic and social development which addresspoverty, income inequality, the bargaining power ofwomen, housing, migrancy and so on will address theunderlying factors which fuel the epidemic

Planning: Step Two

Identify the obstacles and opportunities

•^

(i) at worker level^ 

relating to the context within which people live andwork 

in respect of the resources that they have accessto 

in the choices that they are empowered to make

•^

(ii) at organisational level^ 

in respect of education and awareness 

in respect of health care 

in respect of social development 

in respect of impact analysis

Planning: Step Three

•^

Identify priorities for action which^ 

are realistic 

exploit inherent resources

•^

will receive support from management, workers,clients and community leaders

• Plans must encompass the three

cornerstones of an effective response toHIV/AIDS, namely:

• Prevention, Care, Non-discrimination

Characteristics of a Successful

HIV/AIDS/STD/TB workplace policies

are formulated around principles of non-discrimination, equity and confidentiality,rights and responsibilities

are developed in consultation

are based on current medical knowledgeand scientific information

are dynamic and able to adapt to changingsituations

are communicated to all existing and allnew staff members

Programme

The benefits of an HIV/AIDS/STD/TB

workplace programme include:

reducing STDs = reduction in risk behaviour =HIV infections prevented

reducing absenteeism, morbidity and mortality

creating a more tolerant and accepting attitudetowards HIV infected workers

producing positive effects on morale andproductivity

promoting the company’s image as a goodcorporate citizen

Project participation

:

A

mong the many benefits of company participation in community HIV/AIDS/STD/TB projects are the following:

increasing the capacity of communities to deal withHIV/AIDS

allowing for the loaning of company resources andskills such as:^ 

marketing, advertising, public relations 

communications and publishing 

information technology 

market research 

employee volunteers 

training resources 

donation/loan of equipment 

distribution networks

Project participation:

other benefits

facilitating the establishment ofpartnerships

improving inter-sectoral co-ordination andcommunication

supporting

socio-economic development

Conclusion

Employers of today find there are an ever increasing numberof social burdens being placed on them. Although the lawdoes not require an employer to develop a workplace AIDSpolicy and programme, to do so makes good business senseand makes for good labour relations. It gives a clear messageto the workforce that the employer is committed to socialissues, enables employees to protect themselves againstpossible infection, provides the employer with an opportunityto plan for the impact of HIV/AIDS and allows for theminimising of the impact of the epidemic