5 reasons for Strong Workplace HIV/AIDS Programmes

By Stefaan Van der Borght, Global Head of Health, Anglo American

In July, some of my colleagues in the health profession and I attended the 21 International AIDS Conference in Durban South Africa. We joined experts from Botswana, South Africa and the United States to discuss the business case for strong HIV Workplace Programs.

Our (Anglo American’s) HIV/AIDS prevention program has been running for 15 years, yet the motivation behind it is something worth revisiting.

Here are 5 reasons why all companies in affected countries should consider implementing one:

1. More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, and it is estimated that 26 million of these are people working aged 15-49 – the prime of their employable years. As part of any business lifeline wellbeing programmes for their people are essential.
2. The benefits of workplace testing can have a ripple effect: not only on the individual by improving the lives of those infected and also that of their families, co-workers and the population at large but also their performance and dedication at work.
3. The strength of a prevention programme is important to prevent new cases from occurring. Research has shown that continuous gender inequality and poor knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, certainly among adolescents, feeds the spread of the virus.
4. All parties – from employers to co-workers – benefit when HIV positive infections are detected early as the right treatment allow them to survive. We now know that a correctly treated person living with HIV will not transmit the infection to his or her partner.
5. Effective treatment programmes also to maintain morale among staff members. At the end of the 20th century, colleagues would become ill and eventually die due to the uncontrolled infection. The perceived lack of control, emotional strain, and negative external signalling is demoralizing and can inculcate learned helplessness in teams. Even if HIV is not directly affecting a person’s own health, it is having a huge impact on each and every one of our daily lives.

This is why employees and their managers have such a crucial role to play, as advocates to encourage testing and treatment among their peers. It does appear that fear of stigmatization is still strong and stopping people from getting tested for HIV. Stigma exists even in companies that have pledged and maintained over more than 20 years the promise not to discriminate.

While a secondary consideration, the positive economic impact of productive workplace ARV (antiretroviral) programmes has been well documented. It’s simple, good HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs is good business.

We researched the effect of ARV workplace treatment programmes at nine of our operations, and found that the cost savings of having workplace programmes for those affected with HIV is 5% of overall cost, translating into an average saving of $1.6million – most of these savings are due to reductions in benefit payments and in-patient care costs.

We all have a role to play if we are to end AIDS by 2030. But as long as we have a single worker infected with HIV, who doesn’t know their status and isn’t being treated we’re not there yet. So join us in this fight towards holistic health. From wherever you are across the globe show your support online and #ProTESTHIV, know your status and talk to your family. To join simply upload a selfie, load it to your social media accounts with your personalised message and use the hashtag #ProTESTHIV. Then visit www.protesthiv.org to find our selfie amongst the 87,000 protesters to date which include celebrities like Elton John, Prince Harry and Charlize Theron.

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