Using Incentives to Encourage HIV/AIDS Programs and Policies in the Workplace

Published by the Horizons programme at the Population Council, this 60-page publication aims to examine the role of incentives in encouraging companies in Thailand to adopt workplace policies and programmes that reduce AIDS-related stigma and discrimination and respond to the needs of workers for information and services.

From the Executive Summary
Employers and company managers have an important role to play in creating work environments free from AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. Implementing HIV/AIDS policies in the workplace can curb such unfair employment practices as compulsory HIV testing and can help meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS for confidentiality and assistance.

A recently completed Horizons study in Thailand examined the question of how to encourage the private sector to become actively involved in developing and improving workplace HIV/AIDS programs. Researchers investigated the role of incentives in encouraging companies to adopt workplace policies and programs that address stigma and discrimination and respond to the needs of workers for information and services. The research was conducted in partnership with American International Assurance (AIA), the Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS (TBCA), and AusAID, the overseas development agency of the Australian government.

The investigators explored the process and outcomes of offering incentives to encourage companies to improve their workplace HIV/AIDS policies and programs. They hypothesized that these incentives would motivate companies to introduce or improve their policies and activities, which in turn would result in improvements in employees’ knowledge and behaviors.