Fitbit: employer penalties for not using.

NorthCascades

canadianlbs wrote: »

sure, i already said i know it's not going to happen. i'm one of those software people myself and i don't think you'll ever convince me that's because it's not doable. it's because there's no material incentive for them to do it, that's all.

Well, there's a difference between "doable" and "worth doing." You're asking why a company built a software platform using the most appropriate technology instead of using Popsicles and bubble gum. The mail could be delivered with bicycles instead of with cars and trains, just like the software could run on desktops instead of servers; in both cases it would be doable, but terribly inefficient, and the wrong choice. It's not that people hate privacy and bikes, or make these decisions out of spite.

Mary_Anastasia

Oo, I wish my work would give us incentives. We can't have any electronics in the office, no fitbit, no cellphone, no fancy digital watches or radios or anything. I would love to be able to use a fitbit while at work.

Tabbycat00

I understand why employers offer such programs but it still isn't exactly fair. My employer offered an insensitive program for weight loss for years...I weigh under 100 lbs. Finally, this year they changed it to a "healthy living" program where I can participate just by making better choices and even getting a flu shot.

pebble4321

canadianlbs wrote: »

CipherZero wrote: »

I would start looking for a new job if my employer thinks they can micro-manage my life like this.

this. i live in canada where things are actually (please groke) fairly different from the states. i've also been privileged to have worked for 20 years without being 'an employee' for more than five - the last time was 15 years ago apart from a very short-lived aberration this year. so i guess my perspective is a bit different. i frequently find myself really bemused about which personal rights and freedoms americans cling to, and which ones they don't seem to care about in the least.

it's not so much the penalty thing, to me. it just sort of staggers me how people could be okay about this. how can that be okay? to me, when i sign a work contract i agree to sell them a predefined chunk of my time every week. and that's it. i'm an adult and an individual citizen. they don't buy my life, my beliefs, my social time, my personal info, my politics, or anything else. outside of their walls and things they actually need in order for me to fulfill my statement of work, nothing about me is any business of theirs. i can't get my head around how it could be okay for a corporation to follow you home and keep tabs how many hours you're asleep.

Heh, you would hate my husband's situation! He works in a remote area 2 hours flying time from home, and is away for four weeks at a time. While he is onsite, they pretty well own him. They determine what and when he eats (he get lots of choices, but there is nowhere else to eat), how many alcoholic drinks he can have a day, what time he gets out of bed in the morning (well, what time the bus leaves for work which is pretty much the same thing), when he is allowed to look at his mobile phone, who he socialises with, whether he is allowed to leave the site for his one day off each fortnight..... etc.
But they pay good money which is why he and just about everyone else there does it. They have bought four out of every five weeks of his life and they take control of most aspects of it. They don't have them tagged with fitbits (I doubt you'd be allowed to wear them on site) but they may as well, their swipe card must track all kinds of stuff about them.

Our health system in Australia is very different to the US, as health care and health insurance are separated from work (I don't think anywhere is like the US, thank goodness!) but I have noticed an increase in advertising for health funds providing fitness trackers or apps, and I'm pretty sure they must be tracking data and making use of that for some purpose. I haven't gone down that path as I'm a bit wary of my insurance company knowing more about me than I choose to disclose so unless I'm sure what they would do with that data, I'm not giving them access to it.

SingRunTing

My employer has a healthy incentives program which does include fitbit. But it's very diverse. You can choose what you do and certain activities earn you different amounts of points. When you hit a certain number of points, you earn the incentive.

Activities include (but not limited to) - step counting (syncing your fitbit), tracking your diet, options for any type of exercise, losing x% of weight, having your annual physical, taking stress management courses (offered for free), and even child birth classes for those folks who are pregnant. Since I'm pregnant, I can actually earn all my points this year between the child birth classes and my annual physical, which is very helpful since I can't lose weight and I'm on exercise restrictions. So even basically disabled, I can qualify.