Living with HIV

This article was written by AIDS Calgary’s SHIFT Team Lead

People living with HIV & AIDS (PHAs) are living longer, healthier, and more active lives. This is great news on numerous levels, but it also raises many questions about long term health and wellness. One of those questions surrounds employment. Most people throughout their lifetime are actively involved in employment. Being involved in the workforce can enhance a person’s life with a sense of purpose, social and community connections, personal & professional growth opportunities and financial stability. While maintaining or returning to work can add quality of life, there are many challenges PHAs face in the area of employment.

In Canada, HIV is recognized as a permanent medical condition which makes people eligible for disability and to be protected under labour laws. The Canadian Human Rights Code also applies, meaning that employers cannot discriminate against people with disabilities, including HIV and AIDS. This does not mean, however, that maintaining or returning to work for PHAs is easy. Labour force participation has been identified as a critical social issue facing PHAs in Canada. Recent studies suggest that 42%-62% of PHAs in developed countries are unemployed and numerous barriers to work exist for PHAs in Canada.

First, a barrier can be around the very nature of HIV itself. HIV is an episodic disability, which means that at some point a PHA may be experiencing a time of health and wellness, able to work, and yet at another times experience a period of illness. This creates a very challenging experience for PHAs to maintain employment or plan their careers. Additional, the PHA's work environment may not be able to accommodate such changes in health. It is imperative that those living with HIV negotiation a flexible work schedule and have accommodations in their workforce.

HIV and disclosure is another key area of concern. PHAs do not have to disclose their HIV status to their employer or coworkers, however many may feel that they have or want to. For those that do not, they may feel a sense of isolation and deceit in keeping a large part of their life hidden. Alternatively, disclosure in the workplace opens up the very real possibility for PHAs to experience stigma & discrimination.

If a PHA is returning to work, it might mean giving up the financial security of accessing long term disability support and risk experiencing financial insecurity should there be a change in health or the discovery of the inability to maintain fulltime employment. Returning to work may also mean explaining gaps in a resume, or having to retrain for new work if an old field of work is no longer physically possible for a PHA.

It is important that those living with HIV are supported to be actively involved in employment. A large portion of PHAs are within their prime employment years and have great skills to offer the workforce. Employers need to be aware of the challenges PHAs may face and be able to have training and awareness to address stigma, as well as effective workplace policies that contain job accommodation and supportive benefits.