BUSINESS NEEDS to face up to fact that southern Africa is experiencing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world, according to Neill Orr and David Patient of KNOWAIDS.
The time for denial is over, they added. Check the figures, and calculate the consequences, they said.
Then act - and act aggressively. Make the adjustments before you have no choice but to do so.
If you are not infected, you are affected.
There are two areas where a business is being affected, according to Orr and Patient - personnel and clients.
If you do not know which age groups and sections of your market are most at risk of being infected with HIV, they said, you cannot realistically formulate any future marketing strategy.
The current truth of the matter, they added, is that at least 15% to 25% (If not more) of any company's staff and clients are already likely to be infected.
Unfortunately, there are those who believe that this is a blessing in disguise - with unemployment rife, and relatively cheap labour.
You need to pay attention to the statistics, said Orr and Patient, and the details.
For example, unskilled workers have lower infection rates than middle management, which explodes the myth of easily-replaced labour.
One step is to assess the economic impact for a company, said the authors of the report, and plan accordingly.
How much of a reduction in your consumer market can you expect, they asked. How can you adjust productivity costs and marketing strategies accordingly?
How will your company's medical and pension funds be affected by high numbers of claims and forced retirements due to illness? Can they be sustained?
A strategy to protect the human skills and resources of a company is also crucial.
It is vital to accept the fact that HIV-infected employees can and do live for many years, said Orr and Patient, and these years can be highly productive.
With proper medical and nutritional support, this period of productivity can be extended.
It costs more to do nothing than it costs to manage the disease.
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