Who is affected?

One of the reasons HIV is a threat to your business, its sustainability and its long term future lies in the fact that South Africa has the greatest number of HIV positive people of any country in the world. See Amnesty International’s report here in the links below.

Somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of South Africa’s working age population are HIV+, depending on the study you read and quote. So one in every four or five people between the ages of 16 and 59 have HIV. How many of your staff fit this profile? How many of your customers or suppliers fit this profile?

One of the first reactions people have when they hear this is to start thinking of the people they know and to begin “pigeon holing” them. But this is not a useful practice – there is not a “profile” that people with HIV can fall under. Some are rich, some are poor, some are well educated, some are not, some are women, some are men, some are employees, some are bosses, some are business partners, some are trusted friends, some are suppliers, some are clients.

I think the most useful action you can take is to ask how HIV might affect your operations, your efficiency, your payroll, your cash flow and your business relationships.

How will HIV affect your business?

Why Bother?

Let's get real. You're running a small business, not a charity. Your obligation to your staff starts the moment they walk in the front door and ends the moment they walk out. If they get sick, that's what sick leave is for. Why should a business owner like yourself be worried about HIV infection in your staff?

I have been involved in small business initiatives for over a decade. The number of obstacles, threats, perceived and potential threats, as well as general rough-and-tumble faced by the small business owner are innumerable.

The threat of HIV to your business is another of these perceived obstacles to make your business financially secure.

It's just the same as a potential threat of a large customer choosing a competitor instead of you. Or a major supplier running short of an essential component. Or a bank calling in your overdraft. All of these affect your business' financial security - and by implication, your financial security.

The good news is that that you've probably got plans in place to deal with all these potential threats.

My question to you is, "Do you have a plan in place to deal with the threat of HIV to your business?"