What is a workplace programme?
A workplace programme consists of various components:
- HIV coordination structure and HIV policy
- Prevention activities
- Support of medical treatment and care
- Outreach to the families and communities
- Monitoring and evaluation
A company has to decide for itself which ones of the five components it wants to realise. This will depend on the company structure, on finances but also on commitment. A lot can be done even with few resources!
Test yourself – What are you doing on HIV prevention, treatment and care?
Is someone in the administration or human resource department dealing with the topic of HIV?
HIV prevention, treatment and care will remain a challenge for the years to come. If a company is serious about doing something against HIV and for the health of its employees it has to build inhouse capacities. Someone must be responsible for running the programme. Usually that is the HIV Coordinator.
Has your company formulated an HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy?
More and more companies take their stand against AIDS, by prohibiting discrimination and stigma against HIV+ employees and by defining HIV prevention and care activities in their workplace policy.
Are condoms distributed at your workplace?
Condoms are a very good protection against acquiring HIV. A lot of employers distribute condoms at the workplace as a means of protection for their employees.
Is information about HIV spread at your workplace?
Posters, flyers and booklets on HIV/AIDS are available for free from HIV/AIDS organizations or public health facilities. Companies also train employees as peer health educators so that they can pass on information about the HIV/AIDS to their fellow workers.
Does your company facilitate access to free testing and counselling on HIV/AIDS?
Voluntary Testing and Counselling Services are certainly also near your workplace. Why not advertising their services at the workplace?
Is medical aid for employees a topic for your employer?
Many companies experience increasing costs on medical expenditures for their employees. An HIV workplace programme helps to control costs and to optimize expenditures.
Does your company mitigate the impact of HIV?
There are many ways to support employees and their families who are affected by HIV. Information and services for the families of the employees can be provided by companies active in the communities where they produce.
Do you know what you are doing with respect to HIV?
Regular reporting and monitoring of activities is necessary to become confident on the progress of the programme. Certain surveys such as on use of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) or on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) are helpful to measure the impact of the HIV interventions.