If you are living with HIV and are working or considering applying for a job, you may be unsure if you should tell people in your workplace about your HIV status. This decision guide will give you information about HIV disclosure in the workplace and your rights and responsibilities.
This decision guide is for you if you are:
- Living with HIV; and
- Working or hoping to work, either paid or volunteer; and/or
- Wondering whether or not to share your HIV status with your co-workers or your employer
Note: the decision on whether to disclose or not is a personal decision and is not mandatory for most jobs.
COVID-19 and Workplace Disclosure
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted most people’s working lives and/or their efforts to find and retain employment. Changes in ways of working (e.g. added health risks, physical requirements, increased stress in the workplace and/or the different needs of working from home) have increased people’s level of uncertainty and in some cases have led people to re-evaluate the supports they need to do their jobs.
For people living with HIV or living with episodic disability (including those living with ongoing health conditions related to COVID-19 infection itself) the question of whether or not to disclose your status can take on new importance and urgency. The Workplace Disclosure Decision Guide will help you think through that decision more clearly.