Developing and Implementing HIV/AIDs Workplace Policy
Abstract
The HIV/AIDs workplace policy will help tremendously to fulfill, promote, respect, and protect equal rights and help superbly in the efforts of nondiscrimination. The proposed policy will highlight the expected behavior, rights, and responsibilities of employees and the organization concerning the topic of HIV/AIDs. The organization will recognize HIV/AIDs as a workplace issue, prioritize the principle of nondiscrimination, promote gender equality, support confidentiality, and offer care and support. The process will take one year while preparing and implementing the HIV/Aids workplace policy. The primary elements of expectation of the HIV/AIDs workplace policy include nondiscrimination, social dialogue, confidentiality, prevention, among others. Policy assessment and measurement will focus on understanding whether behavioral elements in the workplace have helped in attaining greater productivity and profit.
Introduction
In the organization, human rights are violated when employees living with HIV/AIDs are discriminated against and stigmatized in the workplace. Discrimination practices in the workplace also involve refusal and termination of employment contracts because of one’s HIV status. Human rights policy based on HIV programs needs to be implemented in the firm to provide every employee the right to access quality healthcare services. Incorporating a policy upholding HIV programs is important in creating a conducive working environment where those affected acknowledge their rights and how they can access the required support. Developing the HIV/AIDs workplace policy will be an important step for the organization while committing to address the violation of human rights as a result of HIV/AIDs. The policy will outline precisely the expected behavior, rights, and responsibilities of both employees and the organization regarding the subject of HIV/AIDs. The HIV/AIDs workplace policy will aid remarkably in fulfilling, promoting, protecting, and respecting equality rights while helping superbly in nondiscrimination efforts.
The Policy
The policy will recognize HIV/AIDs as a workplace issue while supporting non-discrimination, gender equality, and offering care and support. The effort will address HIV/AIDs as a workplace primarily because it impacts both employees and the organization when reducing productivity and rising labor costs. The workplace policy will provide an outstanding framework for reducing the spread of the disease while managing its impacts. The principle of nondiscrimination will extend to staff’s employment status, entitlements pensions, and health insurance. Therefore, the primary elements in the HIV/AIDs workplace policy will include non-discrimination, gender equality, confidentiality, continued employment rate, and offering support.
The HIV/AIDs workplace policy will commit heavily to nondiscrimination, fair treatment, and confidentiality for all employees. The policy will also ensure proper adherence to national laws while supporting inclusivity and a non-stigmatizing work environment. The policy will explain to workers living with HIV/AIDs the kind of support they will receive while encouraging them to come forward for both screening and counseling. The organization will make the policy accessible to all workers and present it in a format that can be easily understood. Therefore, the primary goal of this policy will be managing the effects of HIV/AIDs in the organization with the objective of reducing business costs and increasing productivity.
Timeline
The process will take one year while preparing and implementing the HIV/AIDs workplace policy. In the first months, a committee will be established to review the present policies that require revising or updating. The committee will conduct proper research before presenting the proposal to the governance board, primary stakeholders, and the leadership team. The HIV/AIDs workplace policy will be disseminated to every department through awareness materials, such as flyers and posters. Communication will continue through newsletters, meetings, and other appropriate forums. One month before implementation, a mechanism of ensuring a clarification on any raised questions will be developed to enable department managers to implement successfully the new policy. After implementation, a leadership meeting will assess the implementation and congratulate all employees for conducting and leading an effective administration.
Elements of expectation
Nondiscrimination is one of the primary elements that will be addressed by the HIV/AIDs workplace policy. Discrimination against employees because of their perceived or correct HIV status will be highly disallowed by the policy. Social dialogue is also another important factor that will be keenly observed by the workplace policy. According to Scheerens, “Successful policies require cooperation and trust between employers, workers, and their representatives, as well as government, where appropriate” (Scheerens, 2017, p. 34). In this regard, the policy will be implemented effectively through the full involvement of all entailed parties. Confidentiality will be highly acknowledged by obliging employees from revealing HIV-related information concerning fellow workers. Therefore, the main elements of expectation of the HIV/AIDs workplace policy would include nondiscrimination, social dialogue, confidentiality, among others.
The workplace policy will stress that HIV/AIDs is preventable through a combination of different strategies. Informational materials, participating in life skill classes, supporting behavioral change, and treating sexually transmitted infections will be highly encouraged throughout the policy. The policy will recognize how support, care, and solidarity will guide the reaction to HIV/AIDs by the organization. Care and support will involve voluntary testing, workplace accommodation, employee assistance programs, and benefits access from health insurance.
Assessment Plan
Policy assessment will be carried out after every four months when the implementation is done. The assessment will aid in determining if the implementation process succeeded or failed. The committee will evaluate whether the working environment has improved after the workplace policy was implemented. According to Scheerens, “While policy design, implementation and evaluation are important in creating a safe, inclusive and enjoyable work environment, too many policies can overtake productivity” (Scheerens, 2017, p. 36). Therefore, the policy assessment will focus on understanding whether behavioral elements in the workplace have helped in attaining greater productivity and profit.
Measurement
The effectiveness of the workplace policy will be monitored and measured using remarkable outcome indicators. According to Johnston, “Because outcome indicators measure the changes that occur over time, indicators should be measured at least at baseline and at the end of the project” (Johnston, 2019, p. 19). For this reason, the measurement will acknowledge how all staff, supervisors, and senior managers have benefited from increased awareness regarding nondiscriminatory practices involving human rights. Appropriate measurement will be highly prioritized in assessing the contribution of the workplace policy to economic objectives. Therefore, outputs will be captured in the measurement framework of monitoring the HIV/AIDs workplace policy.
Anticipated Challenges and Solutions
Anticipated challenges or implementation barriers will be effectively addressed in the efforts of ensuring the success of the HIV/AIDs workplace policy. The challenges may be rooted in different causes, such as lack of stakeholders’ support, inadequate financial resources, or lack of accuracy on operational guidelines. According to Shirley, “To address implementation barriers, stakeholders must assess the root cause of the challenge and develop targeted strategies to address each barrier in collaboration with other interested and empowered parties” (Shirley, 2014, p. 235). For this reason, when developing, implementing, and measuring the policy, barriers will be continually monitored and addressed.
Stakeholders’ support will be gained by researching their policy interests and preferences while building a positive relationship. Implementation will be an ongoing operation of making decisions by primary actors, working in complex institutional contexts while facing remarkable pressures. The balance of resources, effective flow of information, and motivation among stakeholders will influence the process of policy implementation. The policy will be effectively communicated and consistently promoted. The number of policy copies will be limited to prevent outdated information from remaining in dissemination. Employees will be motivated to support the workplace policy through effective coordination between parties. As a result, overcoming barriers to policy implementation will need the commitment and endurance of all stakeholders over an extended period. Therefore, the policy will help in safeguarding human dignity on basis of HIV/AIDs while supporting rights-based and effective responses.
