Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times - Sunday, 22 August, 2004
The secret of BMW's success is attitude: people need to know their HIV status in the same way they should be aware of their cholesterol level and blood pressure, says Dr Natalie Mayet, head of BMW South Africa's occupational health services.
This is because it is a critical step in the process, she says. "Knowing one's status is key to getting treatment."
For this reason, BMW did not go for anonymous saliva testing but rather encouraged all employees to find out their HIV status.
Mayet says 90% of the company's staff have now been tested for HIV and 94% of those who have been tested are negative.
This is the highest recorded level of voluntary testing among corporates worldwide, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Health Initiative.
BMW South Africa's HIV/Aids workplace programme was also "highly commended" by the New York-based Global Business Coalition on HIV and Aids last year.
A key philosophy of the programme is explained by Mayet: "We focus on individual responsibility and each and every one of our employees is being developed as an advocate for HIV/Aids prevention."
Another crucial factor in deploying the programme has been tailoring the programme to fit the specific needs of the workforce.
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