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?