SINGAPORE - Fifty companies in the private sector have pledged to adopt a set of new guidelines on HIV education and prevention in the workplace.

The revamped guidelines will have three tiers of easy-to-understand steps to help companies beef up their workplace HIV/AIDS education and management and put in place HR policies to reduce the stigma associated with the disease.

In the first tier, companies will get practical information on how to educate staff about HIV and its prevention.

The second-tier guidelines will allow employers to adjust their internal processes to support HIV/AIDS prevention programmes, as well as employees who have the virus.

Tier three will contain applications to allow companies to establish workplace policies to remove prejudices and discrimination against staff who have HIV/AIDS.

There are some 4,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Singapore, and seven in 10 of them are working adults between 30 and 59 years old.

The Singapore National Employers Federation and the Health Promotion Board said educating employees and employers on HIV/AIDS will help reduce fear and discrimination, and allow those with HIV/AIDS to continue making valuable contributions in their workplaces.

The new guidelines will be given to some 4,000 companies here. Hon Jing Yi