There is no simple formula for accommodation of employees with HIV infection or AIDS The dual goals of accommodation are to ensure that work assignments are accomplished and that the individual with HIV infection or AIDS continues working as long as possible. Accommodation is a process of ongoing problem solving between an employee with HIV infection or AIDS and his or her supervisor. Because the manifestations of HIV infection and AIDS are different in different people, accommodation is not a one-time alteration of a job or physical structure. Just as each person with HIV infection and AIDS experiences the disease differently, each person will also require different accommodations. An accommodation that is effective for an earlier phase of HIV infection may not be effective for a later phase; an accommodation is an ongoing process requiring ongoing evaluation, in part because the manifestations of HIV infection and AIDS change over time, and in part because some attempted accommodations may not work for either the employer or the employee. Effective accommodation does not require lowering the expectations of the employee. Rather, it requires ongoing negotiation and creative problem solving to determine alternative means of accomplishing work assignments. This negotiation process may result in different outcomes in similar circumstances. For example, one employee might convert from a full-time job to part time. Providing accommodation to employees with HIV infection or AIDS is a team effort with impact on a company’s workforce, managers, and policies Because of the fear and stigma still associated with HIV/AIDS, accommodating people with HIV infection and AIDS affects virtually everyone in the workplace. A fearful work environment is not a productive work environment. In the process of providing accommodation of employees with HIV infection or AIDS, an employer might consider addressing coworker attitudes. In order to dispel unwarranted fears and to ensure cooperation in the accommodation process, managers need accurate information about HIV infection and AIDS. Confronting AIDS also involves confronting grief. Coworkers and managers in these profiles responded constructively in a supportive environment where emotional responses to HIV could be addressed. Leadership is an important part of effective accommodation. A message from the manager about how an employee with HIV infection or AIDS will be treated is critical because it sets a clear standard. The benefits of accommodating employees with HIV infection and AIDS balance the costs Companies that effectively manage HIV/AIDS grow stronger. How a company treats one employee with a chronic illness is a clear indicator and a signal of the standard it will use in managing other employees. Witnessing support, accommodation, and respect for a coworker with a terminal illness strengthens worker morale, loyalty, and productivity. Coworkers and supervisors share a deeply human connection. Employers have the satisfaction of knowing they are making a contribution to the dignity and well-being of one of their own employees. Sometimes companies directly benefit financially from accommodations as well. One employee, working on commission-based pay, wanted to reduce the pressure caused by his income depending directly on his daily sales. His accommodation included converting from commission-based pay to a fixed salary. When his sales were high, this arrangement benefited the company since it kept the commissions he would have received. Confidentiality of a funeral service Confidentiality should be observed throughout all aspects of funeral service and particularly when any infectious case is encountered. In cases where it is felt necessary to preserve confidentiality funeral directors may be told a cadaver is low, medium or high risk without giving a specific diagnosis. In this circumstance it is the responsibility of the certifying clinician (who
Companies benefit when employees who become ill can help train other employees to share and eventually assume some of their responsibilities. The expertise of a knowledgeable and experienced employee is thus passed on to a new employee. This may also give ill employees some peace of mind knowing their responsibilities are being taken care of in their absence. Employees who fully disclosed their HIV status in the workplace felt relieved and strengthened Being an employee with HIV/AIDS, as one interviewee described it, is “not for cowards.” The employee must manage the overwhelming emotions of facing a terminal and often stigmatizing illness while still continuing to be a productive worker. People with HIV infection and AIDS are challenged to manage and plan for an everchanging set of ailments, health care needs, and financial demands — all while maintaining motivation and self-esteem. HIV-positive employees must decide whom to inform about their health status, how much information to reveal, and when to reveal it. The stigma still associated with HIV/AIDS makes such decisions all the more difficult. Fear of rejection, regrettably, is a fear based in reality. The decision to disclose HIV status is the prerogative of the HIV- positive individual. It is illegal for an employer to ask a current or prospective employee about HIV status. Nonetheless, the HIV- positive employee may have to disclose some health information to managers or supervisors in order to seek an accommodation. Accommodations can be made without the supervisor’s knowing that the individual is HIV-positive or has AIDS; the supervisor may know only that the individual is ill. Disclosure of one’s HIV status can take place in many settings. Some employees have chosen to disclose it in letters to colleagues or work groups; others do so in face-to face meetings with individuals or groups. Intensive workplace AIDS education may precede or follow a disclosure. Employees may inform managers of their health condition but request that the information be kept confidential; and by law, the employer must comply with that request. Over time, however, if coworkers unaware of these circumstances become suspicious of perceived preferential treatment, they may become resentful and spend considerable time, energy, and effort trying to figure out “what’s wrong.” Rumors may circulate. When the performance of their work groups is called into question by superiors, managers may find themselves unable to adequately explain the situation. In such circumstances, the employee may be uncomfortable as well, knowing that rumors are circulating and feeling the unwanted attention from others. At that point, it may be helpful for the manager to discuss with the employee what, if anything, he or she wants to do to address the situation. The decision to disclose rests with the employee, but the employee may be willing to risk disclosure if the manager is not forcing the individual to disclose but, instead, offers support for whatever decision is made. Finally, many employees with HIV/AIDS believe that continuing to work is critical to their mental and physical health and survival. Work can provide a sense of purpose, financial support, productiveness, continuity, involvement, peer support, and the opportunity to focus on something other than one’s illness. In our culture and society, a person’s work and profession often hold deep ethical, economic, and personal significance. The importance of work and the workplace context for people with HIV infection and AIDS should not be underestimated. should seek infection control advice if necessary) to ensure that the cadaver is correctly classified. Those refusing to disclose a diagnosis have a responsibility for ensuring that funeral directors are given sufficient information to protect themselves and their staff. Inaccurate or insufficient information may result in families being denied the right to view a body. Denying relatives the
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Book Code: FFL1223
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