Weight loss incentives

People are easily motivated by money and they will work hard to shed some weight if they know there is a nice cash prize for doing so. Employers are finding that it is easy to get their employees to lose weight if they pay them $50 or more to shed the pounds. You don't even need to pay your employees to lose weight; you can simply threaten them with the additional health insurance costs they will need to pay if they do not get their weight under control.

Overweight employees cost their employers about $300 more per employee each year in health insurance costs. If you have a staff of 20 people, that is an extra $6,000 in health insurance coverage. The reason for the higher costs is because overweight employees tend to have high-risk problems like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health issues. In addition to raising the health insurance costs, overweight employees get sicker than healthier staff members and they take more time off work. They also cannot perform their job duties as easily, costing their employer to lose money on production costs.

Here is a number that might surprise you, $285,000. This is the amount of money an employer of 1,000 employees will spend on increased medical costs and absenteeism due to obesity. To combat this overwhelming amount of money, employees are now being forced to pay for the higher health care premiums if they are causing the company to go into a high-risk category. Some employers are even refusing paid sick leave for the employees that take off time and are overweight.

Weight control is no easy picnic and it can be hard on employees that have struggled with it for several years. Weight loss incentives are one of the best options employers have if they want to help their employees actually lose the weight. The first thing you need to do is provide your employees with a list of all the benefits they will experience if they lose weight:

• Improved self esteem. People that lose weight are more confident about their bodies and they are not embarrassed to go out in public. They are able to wear clothes that flatter their figure and no longer need to worry about wearing a swimsuit.


• Increased stamina and energy. When people are able to drop the extra weight on their bodies, their energy almost instantly increases. They are able to keep up with their children when they are outside playing sports. It will also help them with their workdays because they won't have the 3:00 lull when they feel like they need a nap.


• It saves you money. People that are in shape don't spend as much money on healthcare and their regular shopping bill. When you eat healthy, you don't purchase junk foods that add up.


• Improved health. Since you have lost weight, you won't have as much pain on your knees, and joints. People don't need to visit the doctor as much and many of them find that they can actually go off of their prescription medications that have been used to treat depression and other mental health problems.

The benefits of losing weight are extensive and the list can go on and on. If you need some good incentives to give your employees, here are a few:

• Financial incentives. Even a $25 gift card can motivate some people to drop a few pounds.


• Time off. Everyone wants to have more time off work so they can spend it with their friends or family members. Try awarding a day off to the people that are committed to the weight loss program.


• Increased responsibility. A great way to motivate people is to increase their role in the company. If someone is on the verge of becoming a manager, this may be the extra push they need to take that step forward.

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Categories: Weight Loss,

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