Obesity in the office

Companies looking to cut back on excess spending have probably noticed that their healthcare costs are one of their largest expenses. If you are looking to cut down the cost of healthcare, you need to take a look at your high-risk employees. Smokers are not the only reason why you may be paying higher health insurance premiums; you can also get nailed with higher premiums because of your overweight employees.

Obesity is a growing problem in America as more and more people are driven to consume food without spending time on exercise. In 2007, Duke University found that obesity in the office leads to an increase in workers comp claims, increased medical spending, and an increase in sick leave. The study also concluded that employers lose more money in production costs when they have employees that are obese. This is tied to the fact that these employees do not have stamina to perform their job properly and their weight also hurts their ability to properly perform every aspect of their job in a timely manner.

If a person is 50 pounds overweight, the lost workdays jump by almost tenfold. This increase is about 117 days for 100 full-time employees. When an employee is healthy, there are only about 14 sick leave days claimed for every 100 full-time employees. If employees are 50 pounds overweight, the workers comp claims will double and their medical costs will triple. Even being 10 pounds overweight will increase the likelihood of claiming an extra 5-10 days of sick leave.

Since there is so much money being tossed out the window due to overweight employees, it is no wonder why companies are implementing wellness programs and encouraging their employees to shed a few pounds. The benefit of having overweight employees is that you can help them lose the weight. Obesity is 100 percent controllable and therefore the health insurance costs will decrease if you are able to get your employees to drop a few pounds.

Some employers have taken aggressive action against obesity and they are now charging their overweight employees more money for health insurance coverage. To be fair to the employee, you must give them notice before you implement a drastic plan like this. A softer approach is the wellness program.

Wellness programs can include weight counseling, buddy systems, and individual competition. It is easier for everyone to lose weight when the entire office is in on the weight loss challenge.The buddy system is a great way to lose weight because it is easier to stick to a diet and exercise program when you have someone else trying to do the same thing. They can help you avoid those salty and sugary snacks and opt for healthier foods like fruits and vegetables. They will also be your support group to help you through times that are challenging and they can help you work harder at exercising and truly shedding some pounds.

Team weight loss challenges are also fun for everyone at the office. It inspires a little healthy competition and it's a great way to get everyone on-board with weight loss instead of just one or two employees. The weight loss challenges will need to come with a reward for the team that loses the most weight. Normally the weight loss challenges will last for about 6 weeks to 3 months, giving your employees plenty of time to drop a lot of weight.

The programs need to encourage healthy lifestyle habits and they should never punish employees for being overweight. As people start the program, they will be initially excited but can get discouraged mid-way through it. This is why it is important to take steps to help keep your employees motivated so they can all achieve their goals.