The session on AIDS impact on business, presented by Christine Randall, highlighted the significance of having a running AIDS programme within an organisation. In her profound presentation, she critically pointed out problems a company can expect from the scourge of AIDS and more importantly solutions that have proved effective remedies. The first challenge of developing an AIDS policy is to get management to appreciate the relevance of the programme and its potential to address their organizational needs.
However, I strongly suppose that AIDS prevention and care activities by businesses can maintain and sometimes even increase productivity and profitability. AIDS goes beyond causing illness and death for employees and severe economic and emotional disruption for their families. It also increases the cost of doing business.
Some of the costs of AIDS to business are:
- Increased health care expenses
- Increased retirement, pension and death benefit claims
- Decreased productivity as worker absenteeism rises owing to personal illness or absence from work to care for sick relatives
- Increased recruitment, labour turnover and training costs from the loss of experienced workers.
Theses costs makes it imperative to establishing an HIV/AIDS programme and policy in the workplace as a cost effective solution which will help reduce the future spread and impact of the disease. Even so, the establishment of a comprehensive and sustained HIV/AIDS programme with appropriate policies depends on the foundation of genuine management commitment to the endeavor.
3 comments:
The buy-in of top management to 'soft' issues within organisations is always a problem. What matters is leadership. The problem is then to educate and advance leadership with a broad vision of the organisations they lead.
Hi Maxwell,
I think to implement policies at the work place is good. But the first thing is the personal awareness that should be implemented in peoples' behavior. Till when should the government pay for ARVs instead of building shools and providing water. I don't think that this government can ridde these three horses at the time. Lets be realistic
Thanks
Surely the effects of HIV/AIDS is pervasive hence there should be no part of society that does not partake in the fight against the disease. The business sector has been recultricent at seeing the disease as its major concern but interestingly, companies are beginning to awaken to the call to have HIV/AIDS plolicies. Part of the factors that have heralded a change in policy are the effects, as you are aptly putting it, of the diseases on comapny productivity and profitability, inter alia.
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