HIV/AIDS education and training communicate to the workforce that the employer/union is serious about maintaining a fair, healthy, and safe workplace for all staff/workers. Informed staff/workers then have the tools to protect themselves, educate their families, and provide leadership within the community.
Facts and compassion. They are the primary focus of the staff/worker education part of an HIV/AIDS workplace program. Staff/workers should be made aware of the HIV/AIDS policies of their workplaces, and they should know where or to whom in the company they can turn with questions. Staff/workers should be given the facts about how HIV is and is not transmitted.
All staff/workers should be educated on equal employment opportunity laws that govern fair workplaces. Many workplaces also extend education in first aid and safety procedures. Knowledge of these laws and policies can help to foster a compassionate environment.
An effective staff/worker education program focuses on maintaining a comfortable workplace for HIV-positive workers and for their co-workers. It emphasizes individual privacy. HIV-positive staff/workers may wish to withhold their status from co-workers, or they may wish to disclose it. The situation can be sensitive not only for HIV-positive staff/workers but for everyone involved.
It is necessary for staff/workers to understand the disease's characteristics and the possible transmission routes. Facts about HIV that every staff/worker should know include:
A successful comprehensive HIV/AIDS workplace program includes a family education component. An informed family can contribute to a healthier and more productive workforce. But with HIV infection rates among women and adolescents still increasing, our future workforce is at stake. Family education is a vital component in any workplace program.
Businesses and unions can benefit from decreased healthcare costs by contributing to the health of staff/workers and their family members. Proactive HIV/AIDS education can ensure that productivity in the workplace does not suffer due to the burden of taking care of an infected loved one or from discrimination by fearful co-workers. By providing facts and dispelling myths about HIV infection to the adult workforce, an employer can protect new generations from future infections and discrimination in the workplace.
Materials and technical assistance are available through Business Responds to AIDS/Labor Responds to AIDS (BRTA/LRTA). BRTA/LRTA can also refer you to organizations in your community that offer assistance with employee education.
These organizations can assist you with inquiries about HIV/AIDS workplace programs:
American Red Cross
Office of HIV/AIDS Education
8111 Gatehouse Road, 6th Floor
Falls Church, VA 22042
Tel: 800-375-2040
Fax: 703-206-7754
Workplace: 800-375-2040
CDC Business and Labor Resource Service
P.O. Box 6003
Rockville, MD 20849-6003
Tel: 877-242-9760
TTY/TDD: 240-514-2780
Fax: 301-562-1050
International: 301-562-1098
info@hivatwork.org
Society for Human Resource Management
1800 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: 800-283-SHRM (United States only)
Fax: 703-535-6490
International: 703-548-3440
