HIV and the Workplace - Do You Have To Tell?

 

 

Should you keep information about HIV a secret from your boss?

 

Preventing the spread of deadly diseases is always a huge concern for any employer, but in the healthcare industry, it is doubly so.

 

One of the biggest infectious diseases today is HIV. It is a concern for all medical professionals, but for those who are HIV positive themselves, it can be an even larger dilemma.

 

With appropriate medical care, people who are diagnosed with HIV can live a full life and still be very productive members of society and the workforce. Because of the many medical breakthroughs, it is more common for people infected with the disease to continue to work at their jobs without much disruption.

 

When the epidemic was still new, most people who found out that they were infected didn't receive the diagnosis until the disease was already in the late stages and they had begun developing symptoms. Because early testing and medication weren't available, they typically weren't able to return to work and those who were, weren't able to hide their condition due to their frequent struggles with complications as the disease progressed.

 

Luckily, early detection and medication can manage the disease and keep symptoms to a minimium. In addition, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS released a report that states that the majority of people living with HIV are between the ages of 15 and 49. These are the prime working years of their lives.

 

People who have been diagnosed with HIV are not required to inform their employer. Although there are times when sharing the information is valuable, for example, when they need time off to deal with their illness or they need their boss to make certain accommodations.

 

If they choose to reveal their illness at work, they run the risk of being stigmatized and discriminated against. Although they are given protection under the Amercians With Disabilities Act, this only gives them legal protection against being fired for having the disease. It doesn't do anything to combat the prejudices that they may face from their co-workers and others.

 

Even though HIV and AIDS awareness have made great strides in educating people about the disease and fighting the ostracizing of people living with the illness, there are still people who would be uncomfortable working with someone they know is infected. This is especially true in a medical setting.

 

All employees should support a healthy and open work environment for everyone. There are still many companies that don't educate their managers on how to prevent discrimination and how to cope with it when they become aware of it.

 

The prejudices against people with HIV still persist and even those who work in Human Resources think that they ought to be able to share this type of information out of the concern for the health of all of their employees. Still, the truth is that HIV isn't spread through casual contact and unless the sharing of bodily fluids is a normal part of a workday, there isn't much risk of infecting others.

 

The choice to disclose this information is a deeply personal one, and most HIV activists recommend that if someone is considering making their diagnosis public, that they contact a legal advocate first. Knowing your rights and getting the necessary information in order to prevent discriminator behavior is important.

 

 

If you, or someone you know, is living with HIV and concerned about the effects of their diagnosis becoming public, please visit The Well Project for guidance and support.

 

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.