Introduction

    Today’s workforce presents complex issues for the average employee. But for the employee who has learned that she or he has tested positive for HIV/AIDS, the issues become even more convoluted. Most persons within the workforce need only to be aware of their job performance in order to maintain job security. The employee whose HIV status is positive, not only has to maintain a satisfactory job performance, but also must struggle and ponder over what a possible disclosure could mean for job retention and workplace climate. It is important to address the concerns of employers and coworkers who share a workplace environment with an employee with HIV/AIDS. Questions such as who shall cover the health care expenses for infected employees and what part, if any, should management take in providing coworkers education and counseling in order to diffuse any fears of contracting the virus from their counterpart. There is a great need for there to be HIV/AIDS policies in the workforce, for the majority of people with HIV/AIDS are in the prime of their lives and are the foundation of the workforce.

Background

    The realities of the HIV/AIDS crisis in America and its impact on the strength of the workforce demand an immediate attention. The realities that face an employees when they learn of a positive diagnosis are compounded by a many of issues. The striking fact that 80% of reported AIDS cases occurred in persons between the ages of 25 and 44 years old. Where work and productivity are concerned, it is within this age group that employees are regarded as being in their prime. According to Jorgensen and Cole in their article entitled “The Health Effects of work site HIV/AIDS”, 54% percent of the total American workforce percent is made up of workers from this demographic group. The many implications of these numbers are profound as both employers and employees must consider the increasing likelihood that persons within their work environment will be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Rather than battling through typical, indeed predictable issues such as wage and benefit disputes with employees, today's employer may well struggle with the reality that an employee with HIV/AIDS will require additional time away from the job while also requiring increasingly expensive medical treatment. The cost of current medication regimens, and the financial burden of regular trips to doctors and even extended hospital stays, will make it problematic at best and impossible at worst, to find affordable coverage for employees. The expense and difficulty finding an insurer willing to maintain individuals with any kind of life threatening disease will be exaggerated when a participant in some kind group coverage such as an HMO, suffers from a grossly misunderstood disease.