| 15.1 | A Workplace HIV/AIDS Policy |
| 15.1.1 | Every workplace should develop an HIV/AIDS policy, in order to ensure that employees affected by HIV/AIDS are not unfairly discriminated against in employment policies and practices. This policy should cover: |
| (i) | the organisation’s position on HIV/AIDS; |
| (ii) | an outline of the HIV/AIDS program; |
| (iii) | details on employment policies (e.g. position regarding HIV testing, employee benefits, performance and procedures to be followed to determine medical incapacity and dismissal); |
| (iv) | express standards of behaviour expected of employers and employees and appropriate measures to deal with deviations from these standards; |
| (v) | grievance procedures in line with item 12 of this Code; |
| (vi) | set out the means of communication within the organisation on HIV/AIDS issues; |
| (vii) | details of employee assistance available to persons affected by HIV/AIDS; |
| (viii) | details of implementation and co-ordination responsibilities; and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. |
| (ix) | Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. |
4 This policy could either be a specific policy on HIV/AIDS, or could be incorporated in a policy on life threatening illness.
| 15.1.2 | All policies should be developed in consultation with key stakeholders within the workplace including trade unions, employee representatives, occupational health staff and the human resources department. |
| 15.1.3 | The policy should reflect the nature and needs of the particular workplace. |
| 15.1.4 | Policy development and implementation is a dynamic process, so the workplace policy should be: |
| (i) | communicated to all concerned; |
| (ii) | routinely reviewed in light of epidemiological and scientific information; and |
| (iii) | monitored for its successful implementation and evaluated for its effectiveness. |
| 15.2 | Developing Workplace HIV/AIDS Programs |
| 15.2.1 | It is recommended that every workplace works towards developing and implementing a workplace HIV/AIDS program aimed at preventing new infections, providing care and support for employees who are infected or affected, and managing the impact of the epidemic in the organisation. |
| 15.2.2 | The nature and extent of a workplace program should be guided by the needs and capacity of each individual workplace. However, it is recommended that every workplace program should attempt to address the following in co-operation with the sectoral, local, provincial and national initiatives: |
| (i) | hold regular HIV/AIDS awareness programs; |
| (ii) | encourage voluntary testing; |
| (iii) | conduct education and training on HIV/AIDS; |
| (iv) | promote condom distribution and use; |
| (v) | encourage health seeking behaviour for STD’s; |
| (vi) | enforce the use of universal infection control measures; |
| (vii) | create an environment that is conducive to openness, disclosure and acceptance amongst all staff; |
| (viii) | endeavour to establish a wellness program for employees affected by HIV/AIDS; |
| (ix) | provide access to counseling and other forms of social support for people affected by HIV/AIDS; |
| (x) | maximise the performance of affected employees through reasonable accommodation, such as investigations into alternative sick leave allocation; |
| (xi) | develop strategies to address direct and indirect costs associated with HIV/AIDS in the workplace, as outlined under item 14.4; |
| (xii) | regularly monitor, evaluate and review the program. |
| 15.2.3 | Employers should take all reasonable steps to assist employees with referrals to appropriate health, welfare and psychosocial facilities within the community, if such services are not provided at the workplace. |
