Alternative work arrangements are any form of employment that does not conform to conventional norms with respect to where, when, and how work is performed. Various contemporary socioeconomic factors make such work increasingly common. The impact of these arrangements on organizational processes like socialization and identification, and their relationship to new communication technologies and work–life interrelationships, are matters of significant interest in organizational communication.

Providing free HIV screening within public housing sites offers the potential for increased participation of at-risk populations. Residential-based screening, however, raises concerns about privacy because of the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and even to the testing for HIV. This study examined the effectiveness of offering HIV screening within a public housing high-rise in upstate New York. Through interviews with both women who obtained testing and those who did not, this study explored the tension between convenience and privacy concerns. The findings suggest that offering HIV screening where people live could encourage participation in the screenings, as well as lead to a destigmatization of HIV testing over time. Some women chose to eschew the convenience of on-site testing in favor of a more private venue for screening, whereas some women responded positively to the accessibility of on-site testing, using communicative strategies to manage privacy concerns.