EL REFERENCIAL INSTITUCIONAL FRENTE AL SITP Y A LOS

It is necessary here to clarify the following key concepts, as they are used frequently in the study and are thematically linked to the research topic, its attendant research objectives and questions, as well as the research design and method. The key concepts are listed alphabetically below, and the alphabetic sequencing itself does not necessarily attenuate their pivotal role in the study; neither does the sequencing signify a particular prioritisation or transcendent order of importance.

1.7.1 AIDS: An acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, which is a surveillance definition based on signs, symptoms, infections, and cancers that relentlessly render the immune system ineffective, preventing it from combating infections and diseases. AIDS is essentially a disease that destroys the human body’s ability to defend itself against the daily onslaught from illnesses of which an individual is largely unaware. The virus infects through an exchange of body fluids, but does not survive for long in the atmosphere or easily transmit from an infected individual to a healthy person. The most common ways of transmission are by sexual intercourse, the indiscriminative use of hypodermic needles and using infected blood for transfusions.

Opportunistic diseases are normally warded off by a healthy immune system. A weakened immune system is vulnerable to attacks by the persistent and atrocious onslaught from the HIV virus. An AIDS-infected person is vulnerable to a protracted attack at any time, and this may lead to death, which may take place within a few months; but the progression of the disease often proceeds over a few years after the symptoms have appeared.

1.7.2 Employee Assistance Practitioner/Professional: Definitions of Employee Assistance Practitioner/Professional are constantly evolving, and South Africa has yet to incorporate recognition of the unique requirements of society. It is generally agreed upon, however, that the EAP is a professional who acts as an agent to assist and/or empower individuals, groups, families and communities to prevent, alleviate or better cope with crises, change and stress; thus enabling them to function more effectively in all areas of life. In this regard, the EAP becomes a valued multi-disciplinary health professional in the workplace.

1.7.3 Employee Assistance Programme: The Employee Assistance Programme has been defined as a programme “designed to assist in the identification and resolution of productivity problems associated with employees impaired by personal concerns including, but not limited to health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other concerns which may adversely affect employee job performance” (The Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) 2013). It is an arrangement between a corporation, academic institution or government agency and its employees that provides a variety of support programmes. Although the programmes are aimed mainly at work-related situations, they can also assist employees with problems that originate outside the workplace but impact on work attendance and/or on-the-job performance.

The EAP is viewed as a sub-field of specialisation in the area of Occupational Health.

In this context; those trained as EAPs constitute the HIV and AIDS team in the City of Johannesburg’s Corporate and Shared Services Directorate. The Employee Assistance Practitioner grew within a group of other experts to add a very fundamental value necessary for the efficient management of the HIV and AIDS in the workplace. The group includes nurses, doctors and social workers, among other health and health care disciplines.

1.7.4 Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA): A professional body that seeks to govern the profession by establishing norms, standards and ethics for EAP as a field of professional practice. Its objectives include expanding and developing the membership while providing services, research, and networking opportunities to professional EAPs. The international EAP Association was founded in 1974, and the local South African chapter in 1998.

1.7.5 Employee Health and Wellness: A perspective that employees are able to perform to their optimum at work when their overall health and other relevant personal concerns are addressed in a coordinated and holistic manner.

1.7.6 Employee Service Delivery: The extent to which activities and programmes are delivered to the workforce, in order to improve organisational performance and employees’ overall health and wellness concerns.

1.7.7 Health: A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO 2002).

1.7.8 HIV: According to UNAIDS, HIV (the Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a disease that infects cells of the human immune system (mainly CD4 positive T cells and macrophages - key components of the cellular immune system), and destroys or impairs their function. Infection results in the progressive deterioration of the immune system, leading to immune deficiency. The immune system is considered deficient when it can no longer fulfil its role of warding off infections and diseases. As opposed to the general population, people with a weak immune deficiency are more susceptible than the general population to a wide range of opportunistic infections which take advantage of a weakened immune system.

Some people may be HIV-infected and healthy, but immune to AIDS. However they still pose the threat of transmitting the virus to others, especially those with a mild immune deficiency system.

1.7.9 Legal Aspects: The statutorily promulgated and defined spheres of engagement between employers and their employees insofar as their rights are concerned with regard to both organisational performance (productivity) and overall employee health and wellness. In this study, the legal aspects of the study relate firstly to the researcher-specific obligations that ensure that the researcher does not act in a manner that violates the rights of the research subjects as guaranteed in the laws of the country. Secondly, the legal aspects ensure that HIV/AIDS sufferers are not discriminated against in the workplace.

1.7.10 National Wellness Institute: Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of, and making choices toward a more successful existence. The key words here are: process, aware, choices and successful. ‘Process’ implies that there is continuum for possibilities of improvement. ‘Aware’ means that there is a conscious nature and propensity to continuously seek more information on ways of improvement. ‘Choices’ means that a variety of options has been considered, and only those options serving the best interest of the individual or organisation have been selected or applied. ‘Successful’ is determined by each individual to be their personal collection of accomplishments for their lives. The National Wellness Institute ensures that all nationally developed wellness programmes and interventions for individuals and organisations are applied in a co-ordinated manner.

1.7.11 Psycho-social Aspects: A causal product of the employees’ affective/

emotional state as a result of personal or work-related factors.

1.7.12 Quality of Work Life: In this study, quality of work life is symbiotically linked to employee service delivery. Ipso facto, the latter determines the former. Efficient and effective employee service delivery contributes writ large to an acceptably high quality of work life.

1.7.13 The Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine: The institute views wellness beyond just a state of physical health. It also encompasses emotional stability, clear thinking, the ability to love and to create, to embrace change, to exercise intuition, and to experience a continuing sense of spirituality. The institute’s mission is to inculcate a culture of vibrant health and well-being in both private and public organisations.