Employment and the risk of HIV infection

There is NO RISK of HIV infection from everyday contact, either at work or socially. There still exist many misconceptions on how HIV is transmitted. HIV is not contagious like cold or flu.

HIV can only be spread through these four ways:

- By having unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person.
- By sharing needles, syringes or other drug use related items with an infected person.
- By receiving blood from an infected person during a blood transfusion.
- By passing on the infection from mother to child during pregnancy, birth and possibly also breast-feeding.

HIV is not transmitted through common, everyday contact, such as:

- Touching, shaking hands, hugging, kissing someone when you meet socially or from tears.
- By sharing a swimming pool, toilet facilities, food, cups, cutlery, crockery, towels and books.
- Coughing or sneezing.
- Bites from mosquitoes and other insects.
- Airconditioning systems.

HIV staff and work

Can employees with HIV or AIDS carry on working?

Most people with HIV and many with AIDS are able to carry on working normally because they feel healthy. If they do become ill however, they may not be able to carry out the same duties or under the same circumstances as before. Should this situation occur, employers should then make a decision on whether to continue employing this person and under which conditions. It may be necessary to change workplace accommodations for HIV staff. Of course, any decisions taken must be made in full consultation with the person concerned.

To read more about workplace accommodations, go to 'workplace programs'.

Working together with HIV colleagues

Employers should always consider that HIV and AIDS mostly affect young and middle aged adults. People who want and need to carry on working.

Many people with HIV or AIDS, find it difficult to continue working. Often not because of physical demands of the job, but more often because of a lack of understanding and intolerance by colleagues.

Here are 3 guidelines for employers to consider when employing HIV staff.

1. Employees who have HIV and who are well need to be able to carry on with their work as usual. They need the confirmation that they are working in a supportive workplace where staff has been educated on HIV and AIDS and a non-discriminatory policy is in place.

2. If a employee who has HIV becomes ill, he or she should be treated in the same way as anyone else who develops a serious, life-threatening illness. Thus, with sensitivity and support this employee needs to be assisted.

3. Work can be very important to people who have a life-threatening illness. It may be a matter of financial necessity or mental reassurance that, as long as they are able, and being enabled, to work, they are in control of their own lives.

Cost-assessment: hiring vs. firing

The economic benefits of non-discrimination of HIV infected staff are not always clear to employers. For this reason, this section gives an overview of the costs involved in firing HIV infected staff compared to costs related to hiring HIV infected staff.

Costs of firing HIV infected staff

Costs of turnover

Terminating employment of HIV infected staff often results in an immediate rise of the costs of turnover. As these costs are often hidden, employers regularly underestimate the consequent problems of terminating employment of HIV infected staff.

Termination of employment of HIV-positive staff is still very common in Asia, while it can easily be argued that termination results in an immediate rise of costs that affect turnover. Recent research (Hinkin 2000: 14-21) to measure the, often hidden costs, of termination on turnover in 20 hotels in North America and Europe found that the increase of costs equals around 30% of total annual salaries and benefits related to the position. Direct costs were related to separation, recruitment, selection and hiring. Also, a significant amount of the costs involved related to the lost of productivity. Hinkin also found that it takes a new employee 54-80 workdays to reach an acceptable level of competence (compared to terminated staff) through orientation and training. It even takes longer to gain mastery in terms of handling exceptions, understanding company systems and gaining confidence and efficiency.

Negative public image

Social irresponsibility has a direct and negative result on the corporate image. This, in contrary to companies that take a leadership role, lending their name and resources in fighting against AIDS at the workplace and in their communities. These companies will be rewarded with a positive public image.

The success of businesses depends on the goodwill of their customers and the communities from which they draw their workforces. Multinationals, such as Levi Strauss, United Distillers and Northwest Airlines who have ongoing AIDS programs, testify to improved community relations and increased sales after being associated with AIDS support (UNAIDS 1998: 4).

Other discrimination related costs

These include compensation for terminating HIV infected employees, based on the labor law of such country. In Thailand for example, according to the constitution, discrimination is prohibited. If the HIV infected employee can prove in court that termination is unjustified, the company may have to compensate more costs than the labor law requires.

Costs of hiring HIV infected staff

Many employers believe that if their companies have HIV infected employees, there will be a burden of increasing in health costs, welfare costs, insurance premiums, death costs, sick leave, staff absenteeism, dropping productivity levels, increased staff turnover and poor morale. However, these threatening costs are in fact not unlimited. For example, some costs are absorbed by social security funds.

Regarding sick leave and staff absenteeism, a recent research found that no statistically significant differences in work hours were found between HIV-positive without AIDS in comparison with HIV-negative employees (Leigh et al. 1995: 81-88).
In addition, it is not true to conclude that HIV infected employees reach low(er) productivity levels! Well-known multi-billion companies, such as Levi-Strauss, Bank of America and The New York Times, have proved that 'reasonable accommodations for HIV infected employees' results in a significantly higher productivity.