IBM and the Aids Awareness program

Health and well-being initiatives are promoted at IBM as an integrated building block approach that begins with taking a personal health assessment, establishing a plan for lifestyle enhancement, and then taking action. These steps provide IBM employees with the education and tools they need to positively impact their personal health and work productivity.

It is important to note that the IBM health promotion strategy is global, but programs are customized to address local needs and cultures. Employee wellness programs at IBM include:

• Early diagnosis and disease prevention efforts, such as clinical screenings, immunizations
• Physical fitness activities, nutrition and weight counseling
• Stress management.
• Primary prevention efforts include ergonomics and injury/illness prevention programs.
• Secondary prevention programs focus on early treatment and prevention of complications that are associated with illness and injury such as condition management, case management and targeted examinations.

One of the standouts of the IBM employee wellness program is that more than two decades ago IBM management saw the need for help with dependant care and launched the first national corporate child-care initiative that evolved into a five-year, $25 million IBM Funds for Dependent Care Initiative to help employees' work and personal life-balance needs. The program has enabled IBM to invest in more than 400 child and eldercare projects in more than 50 communities. By the late 1990s, the program had dramatically expanded and included 1,200 childcare and eldercare projects in 66 communities that have led to the creation of 61,000 new "spots" for children or seniors in need of care. The company then responded by creating the Global Work/Life Fund with a five-year, $50 million commitment. It was the first fund of its type to address employee issues on a global basis.

With all of the varied aspects of the IBM employee wellness program there is one area of special emphasis on HIV/AIDS, with its own specific objectives and targets. This HIV/AIDS initiative will help drive additional improvement in prevention, education and access to health services. IBM's involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS is known to have been particularly extensive since the disease became a global concern in the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s.

IBM developed its practice throughout the United States in regards to people with AIDS in 1985 in response to the spread of the disease and the threat it posed to their employees and the communities in which they live and work. Human Resource polices were immediately developed that detailed the treatment of employees with HIV/AIDS in the same manner as other employees with other chronic illnesses-giving guidance, support and access to health services, including prevention and education for HIV/AIDS.

There are several key components to the employee wellness program in regards to the treatment of employees.These include:

• IBM does not test applicants or employees for HIV/AIDS.


• IBM also protects the confidentiality of employees with HIV/AIDS.


• IBM provides information and education to all employees on HIV/AIDS.


• IBM, (whenever possible), makes accommodations that enable employees with HIV/AIDS to remain on the job.


• IBM does not discriminate against employees with any serious medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, in its hiring, promotion, or general benefits practices.


• IBM has been actively involved in providing support through its policies, programs and practices to help mitigate the impact of the disease on our communities since the beginning of the epidemic.

Because of the development of a multi-faced employee wellness program that shows IBM employees their company really cares IBM employees have also found effective ways to illustrate their compassion. In recognition of World AIDS Day in 2005, IBM employees in Tucson, Arizona, hosted sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and assembled to share stories from those affected by the disease. IBM employees have also received awards for volunteer work with HIV/AIDS patients and have helped organize drives that help provide housing and food for those affected by HIV/AIDS.