AIDS Issues in the Workplace

This book provides human resource managers with the information necessary to cope with the ethical, legal, and financial issues surrounding AIDS--a disease that will eventually affect almost every workplace in the world. Masi offers a comprehensive Program Integration Model approach to managing the disease and shows how to develop effective policies, implement educational programs, and adapt existing Employee Assistance Programs to provide the most cost-effective and comprehensive service to employees dealing with AIDS. Unlike other books on the subject, AIDS Issues in the Workplace addresses the particular concerns of all populations affected by the disease including health-care workers, police and fire workers, persons in the arts, restaurant and hotel employees, and employees overseas. Women and minorities, substance-abusers, and the families of those afflicted with AIDS are addressed specifically. The author provides current legal information to help the employer avoid costly litigation and reviews actual policies employed by major corporations in both the public and private sectors. The result is the most comprehensive presentation of the issues related to AIDS in the workplace yet available in book form.Masi begins by examining the latest medical information on AIDS and its transmission as well as the legal issues involved. She then turns to a discussion of company policy development, demonstrating both why a clearly stated policy is important and what it should cover. Subsequent chapters point to the critical importance of continuous education in the workplace, discuss why EAPs have so far failed to be substantially involved in AIDS, and suggest roles that EAPs could serve. Three chapters address the needs and concerns of special populations and how employers can best serve these needs without appearing discriminatory. A separate chapter includes interviews with individuals who have experienced a range of AIDS-related issues in the workplace. The volume concludes with a list of resources and an appendix containing original documents from such sources as the Centers for Disease Control's Universal Precautions, their Recommendations for Health Care Settings, and handicapped legislation. Anyone confronted with the challenge of developing appropriate human resource strategies to deal with AIDS will find this book an indispensable resource.