Praxis Note 39. Wellness in the Workplace: Boosting organisational immunity to HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS policies are not enough. Without a conducive work environment, policies will make little difference. Many organisations are vulnerable to the effects of HIV/AIDS because they are already unhealthy – their immune systems are weak.

Creating a workplace that encourages ‘wellness’ is arguably the most important step an organisation can take to develop its resilience to HIV/AIDS. The good news is that many of ways forward do not cost anything.

This paper is the product of a Project Empower workshop with 12 South African civil society organisations (CSOs). The workshop aimed to find ways for CSOs to manage the impact of HIV/AIDS on their organisations. But it revealed the disturbing reality that instead of organisations actively trying to improve the health of staff living with HIV/AIDS, the working conditions in many NGOs were contributing significantly to staff leading less healthy lives.