weight and work

joselo2

This topic is sort of prompted by another topic where it was touched upon the role of schools in promoting healthy weight and lifestyle>

Do you think EMPLOYERS have a right, or even duty to promote healthy weight and lifestyle for employees? Do you think it is something they sure do as part of good people management and their duty of care? or is it intrusive and not their business?

I think this is a very different issue for americans to brits- here, health care is state funded, so health doesnt really affect employers, apart from time off sick. I beleive in the usa health care is contributed to by employers? So i guess they have much more of a financial case for ensuring good health. I dont know bout other countries.

I think weight is very very personal and employers should not ask about it really. I herd someone here saying his work made them set wellbeing goals like weightloss and tracked their progress... I would find it VERY unnacceptable and intrusive for my work to do that.

I suppose there is an issue when health is seriously affecting your work. Me, I work in sewing, doing alterations and such, and I got to a point where my weight made it almost impossible to kneel and get up again and all that, to measure people. I suppose my e,ployer had noticed and had to mention it. Luckily we are very friendly and things, and she very tactfully asked me if I was having trouble with bending up and down and she had observed i might be. I said i was (very embarrassing and difficult) and we found a way to help me do it (using a stool mostly); she also asked if my health was ok and if maybe i can get some help about joints and things- i appreciated that she never mentioned my weight even though she was thinkin it. I then got kind of upset, and becuase we are friends, kind of stepped out of the professional way and into a friendly conversation and I told I knew I had a problem with weight and I was trying to do something about it. She told me that since i mentioned it, she had been worried as a firend, and she has been real supportive to me. i think it is only as we are friends that I could have had that kind of conversation, because I could not have, i think, with another boss.

I just don't know, it is a tricky one. What does nyone else think? How does your work deal with weight issues? Do you feel it intrusive? Are you a boss, have you ever had to address weight with any of your employees?
xxx

Oishii

I am glad it went well with your employer.

It is hard if someone's health gets in the way of their work. I'm a teacher, so a member of a union, and my school would be very careful to follow the letter of the law regarding anything like this. I had a colleague who fell asleep in class regularly and never marked work. He 'lost' coursework in the post, year after year, and lied to the examining board about the grades. He wasn't a well man in many ways, and he was very big, which was either symptom, cause or result.. However, he struggled along in this state, without any effective intervention, until suddenly they sacked him for something totally unrelated to everything listed above, and certainly not connected to weight.

My school always has great healthy options available to eat, and less healthy ones too. The bananas go first at break time, and the biscuits hardly get eaten in the summer or at New Year :laugh: We have access to a weights room and a pool, and a lot of my colleagues are super fit. However, I don't think the school would waste time or money on trying to control this.

fiberartist219

It does feel intrusive, but honestly, it depends on the employer. At the last place I worked, I tried to hide my health issues because I felt like my illnesses were going to get me demoted. I called in sick a lot for my migraines, and when I showed up sick, it was even worse, because I screwed up a lot of work. I was not going to talk to anyone about a healthy lifestyle, because everything was completely out of control.

It turns out, after talking with my neurologist, the job I had was a major factor in the problems I was having due to the irregular schedule... which is why I switched jobs.

My current employer held a health fair type thing that we had to attend if we wanted a discount on our insurance. I was reluctant to do it, because I didn't want "big brother' having all my stats. It turns out though, that my current employer really does care about my health. They offer free health coaching sessions, and a lot of workout opportunities. My coworkers help motivate me to workout because they do it with me. If I mention that I'm struggling with an issue, no one threatens to take my work away from me and I still get assigned just as many projects as I would have otherwise. It is wonderful. Plus, the schedule that I work is very easy on my sleeping patterns.

It just depends on who's asking, and how they want to help. I refuse to participate in "biggest loser" type competitions, but I love taking advantage of Zumba classes, softball leagues, yoga classes, and nutrition workshops. My current employer sees these sorts of things as benefits, and I would agree. My previous employer would probably think I was lazy and then prevent me from promotions and what not...

nz_deevaa

I live in Australia.

We have a work gym -- it costs $90 a year to join.

I've done two rounds of 'core strength' classes (1hr a week for 6wks) for free, and am currently in a group that pay a PT to come in and do group sessions.

My work place also does meditation classes, healthy cooking classes and seminars on topics like diabetes and men's health.

Some of it is subsided by the government in the "Healthy Workers" initiative, and the rest is covered by my employer.

I also had a "Healthy Worker" check which is a confidential check for blood pressure, blood sugar, iron levels etc.

We have a work canteen and they always have a 'healthy' option for lunch.

meshashesha2012

on the other hand, in the US, your employer is subsidizing a large part of an employee's health care so i can see it both ways.

californiagirl2012

It should be up to the company and every situation is different. We don't need laws for everything, it gets ridiculous after awhile.

I worked for a high tech company for 25 years that was like a college campus. They encouraged health, had a gym, locker rooms and showers, softball leagues, volleyball courts, etc. I packed my food and ran 3-6 miles every day at lunchtime and used the gym and showers. We all worked hard and played hard and it was good, not all employees took advantage of it. They didn't pay us to workout, but the facilities were there.

Now I work for a Sheriff's dept and they do encourage everyone, even the administration employees, to workout out and have weight watchers meetings, and they pay the deputies some time to workout before their shift because it's important to stay fit as part of the job.

This was all in the USA. Things are changing here though. Should be interesting.

megsmom2

I don't have insurance..my employer doesn't provide it, unfortunately...and.in the work I do your health really becomes an issue.only if it impedes your doing your job---which it could, as its very physical. If my employer was providing a health care package, then I think he would also have more of a right to have a say in worker's health issues ....such as discouraging smoking.

ubermensch13

on the other hand, in the US, your employer is subsidizing a large part of an employee's health care so i can see it both ways.

So, speaking as someone who negotiates contracts between employers and employee organizations and the cost of employer/employee funded health care is always one of the central issues during negotiations, I do think employers should have a role in their employees health. Not just by providing funding for an affordable health plan, but offering benefits to those that attempt to stay healthy/fit. It has been proven in study after study that catastrophic care is the most costly type of care, and if you are not leading at least a decently healthy lifestyle you are more at risk for things like high blood pressure/cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, all diseases that have severe health effects and high costs to health care providers. By attempting to add an incentive to living a healthier life, you can at least attempt to keep the overall cost of health care down for both employees and employers(we all know the healthy fund the sick). As medicine and healthcare has become more and more individualized, the costs of treatment has increased, and until the major causes of sicknesses(Cancer,heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure/cholesterol) are cured, the costs of individualized treatments will continue to rise. It only makes pragmatic sense for both employees and employers to take an active role in individual health.

EvgeniZyntx

We have a bunch of different health programs in my company (us based 90000 employees worldwide) the programs are country based. Always voluntary and zero internal tracking.
In a few countries, external insurance companies provide incentives, from reduced fees to free bikes, to participants in health risk reduction programs.
As we grow older, and human capital value remains a high element of differentiation between competitors, and as we age as a population you can bet that companies will invest more on employee well-being.

nuttyfamily

My employer has a wellness program. They also pay a large part of our monthly costs so I think they can and should get involved. If their employees get healthy, that lowers their costs down the line.

This is the first year they implemented a higher cost to those who are smokers. If they enroll in a program to help them quit, then they get the reduced rate like us non-smokers. I don't mind that but then again, I am not a smoker.

Ralphrabbit

So glad you have a sensitive & helpful boss. Not everyone is so fortunate! I work for the NHS and they have been nothing but difficult all through my working life. Uniforms always had to be specially made even when I was not that big! If they had had a more helpful approach I may well would have used the services they supply to everyone else! Unfortunately we all know that this is a sensitive enough issue for friends & family to address & employers need to be the same!

pkw58

I think everyone needs to get focused on promoting healthy lifestyles. That includes employers for many reasons beyond it's the right thing to do. I can tell you without a doubt I am a better performing consultant since I dropped the weight this year. Drinking water keeps my brain moving! Walk breaks clear my head and I problem solve much quicker.

Honestly, no one should tell anyone other than a licensed physical/medical professional what to weigh... but promoting a healthy lifestyle is key to every single employee. And that includes monitoring overtime and making sure people get their vacation time. My profession is notorius for people "banking" vacation. Mental as well as physical health are important to a productive work environment.

Wouldn't it be great to take the money spent on "office cakes" or "potluck lunches" and do a 1 mile fun walk for charity once a month? Why not?

So heck, yea, I believe in rewards for progress on a healthy lifestyle. If it comes in the form of a discount on my health insurance or wellness extras at the office, Let's do it. We spend a lot of time at work, and I enjoy the smoke free environment. Put something healthy in the vending machines - besides a rock hard granola bar! Thanks for the filtered water, but how about some fresh fruit in the break rooms? One of my clients puts out bananas, oranges and apples every Tuesday - you have to beat the rush,seriously. Put some little packs of almonds in the vending machines instead of the three rolls of chips and chocolate bars...

zombilishious

I feel very lucky that no only does my employer keep a small gym at the office, but I am also reimbursed for my personal gym membership. My employer keeps our kitchen stocked with fruits, healthy spreads, teas, and sandwich items.

In America, employers complain about the high cost of healthcare for employees, and I think it's great that some employers are becoming proactive in giving their staff motivators for getting healthy. Preventive care/health & wellness expenses are much lower in the long run than treating chronic conditions such as heart disease, Type II Diabetes, GERD and other diseases that primarily stem from obesity.

I don't, however, think any employer should have the right to condition employment upon weight/health unless it is unsafe for someone to do their job. Obesity is not always just about eating the wrong things/too much. It's also from stress/anxiety/depression. Pkw58 is right - mental health is the first step to healthy.

LINIA

In almost every country the # of ppl overweight and/or obese has steadily climbed.

Our friends are afraid to mention it to us and our family members can't bring themselves to do so.

When we are overweight we require more resources and our health is compromised, diabetes...heart problems, knee and hip replacements...the list goes on.

So, if this conversation isn't somehow made to be a workplace issue, do we have any chance of turning things around?

LINIA

bump!!!

joselo2

So, if this conversation isn't somehow made to be a workplace issue, do we have any chance of turning things around?

ppl recognising the problem themselfs? just puttin it out there!!

LINIA

So, if this conversation isn't somehow made to be a workplace issue, do we have any chance of turning things around?

ppl recognising the problem themselfs? just puttin it out there!!

BUMP!!!!