• HIV/AIDS Workplace Policies
• Workplace HIV/AIDS Programmes
• Best Practices and Guidelines
• Provincial Government Involvement
• Contact Details

HIV/AIDS WORKPLACE POLICIES

An HIV/AIDS policy is a written document that sets out an organisations position and practices as they relate to HIV and AIDS.

An HIV/AIDS policy:

• Defines an organisation’s position on HIV/AIDS and sets out clear guidelines on how HIV/AIDS will be managed within the workplace.
• Aligns the workplace response to the broader legal framework.
• Ensures fairness.
• Identifies and protects employers and employees' rights and responsibilities in the context of HIV/AIDS.
• Sets standards of behaviour expected of all employers and employees.
• Establishes consistency within the company.
• Sets the standard for communication about HIV/AIDS.
• Provides a good foundation upon which to build an HIV/AIDS workplace programme.
• Informs employees about assistance that is available.
• Indicates commitment to dealing with HIV and AIDS.
• Ensures consistency with national and international practices.

Key issues that companies should be thinking about in relation to HIV/AIDS policies.

• Recognition of HIV/AIDS as a workplace issue because it threatens productivity, profitability and the welfare of employees and their families. The workplace, as an integral part of the community, has vital role to play in terms of prevention.

• Promotion of equality and non-discrimination between individuals with HIV infections and those without, and between HIV/AIDS and other comparable health/medical conditions.

• Creation of a supportive environment so that employees living with HIV are able to continue working under normal conditions in their current employment for as long as they are medically fit to do so.

• Protection of the human rights and dignity of people living with HIV or AIDS – such protections are essential to the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.

• Recognition of the fact that HIV/AIDS has a disproportionate impact on women – this should be taken into account in the development of workplace policies and programmes.

• Recognition of consultation, inclusivity and encouraging full participation of all stakeholders as key principles which should underpin every HIV/AIDS policy and programme.

• Recognition that HIV is preventable and that the workplace needs to promote effective prevention efforts.

WORKPLACE HIV/AIDS PROGRAMMES

An HIV/AIDS workplace programme is an action-oriented plan that an organisation can implement in order to prevent new HIV infections, provide care and support for employees who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, and manage the impact of the epidemic on the organisation.

Key elements of an HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme include:

• an impact assessment of HIV and AIDS on your organisation
• HIV/AIDS awareness programmes
• voluntary HIV testing and counselling programmes
• HIV/AIDS education and training
• condom distribution
• encouraging health treatment for STIs and TB
• universal infection control procedures
• creating an open accepting environment
• wellness programmes for employees affected by HIV/AIDS
• the provision of antiretrovirals or the referral to relevant service providers
• education and awareness about antiretroviral and treatment literacy programmes
• counselling and other forms of social support for infected employees
• reasonable accommodation for infected employees
• strategies to address direct and indirect costs of HIV and AIDS
• monitoring, evaluation and review of the programme.

For best practices and guidelines, people can be referred to these following documents, companies and organisations (form "HIV/AIDS in the workplace requires holistic, proactive solutions", Stephen Kramer, 2001):

• International Labor Organisation. An ILO code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work (Geneva, 2001)
• The Department of Labour Code of Good Practice on Key Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Employment
• International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. Framework of Action Towards Involving Workers in Fighting HIV/AIDS in the Workplace (Gaborone, Botswana, 2000)
• Congress of South African Trade Unions. Campaign Against HIV/AIDS: A guide for Shop Stewards (South Africa, 2000)
• Family Health International. Private Sector AIDS Policy: Businesses Managing AIDS, A Guide for Managers
• UNAIDS. AIDS and HIV Infection Information for United Nations Employees and Their Families (Geneva, 2000)
• South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA)
• Metropolitan Life
• City of Cape Town
• Daimler Chrysler, South Africa
• Heineken International
• Eskom
• Standard Chartered Bank
• Illovo Sugar, South Africa
• Chevron Texaco
• Unilever
• Woolworth
• South African Breweries

The Western Cape Department of Economic Development provides the following services relating to HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes:

• Facilitating and driving a Western Cape HIV/AIDS in the Workplace initiative, by mobilizing existing and possible new parties involved.

• Targeting the big corporate employers in the province, in terms of making sure that HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes are in place. (Give advice on developing and implementation of HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes).

• Researching the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Western Cape economy.

• Examining what has already been done in the corporate world. Where good practices have been implemented the unit encourages firms to share what they have been doing well with other organisations and encourages media coverage of these initiatives.

• Raising awareness and providing assistance to small business through the initiatives and successes of large firms. Organisations with less extensive programmes (SMMEs) can learn from the experiences (highlights and pitfalls) of business with established policies and programmes and can recognise the value of these initiatives. Research indicates that many small business owners feel powerless in the face of HIV/AIDS. They don’t know the HIV prevalence amongst their staff, how to deal with an employee who is HIV-positive, or how to introduce HIV/AIDS awareness and education into the workplace.

• Encouraging companies to buy the comprehensive HIV/AIDS toolkit, produced by South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA), in accordance with international best practice. This toolkit provides businesses, especially SMMEs, with a means of implementing cost effective workplace programmes.

CONTACT DETAILS

For more information contact

Thandi Mzizi
Tel: 021 483 9163
Fax: 021 483 4616
tmzizi@pgwc.gov.za