Ways To Lose Weight In The Workplace
Obesity has become a great problem in the United States as most people know. Statistics show that Americans are carrying more weight than they need to and most are living more sedentary lives.
Most people understand that something has to change in their lives in order for them to lose weight and now Health Advocate ™ has created a white paper to discuss weight loss in the workplace. This report gives details of the most important research on how obesity has impacted the workplace and gives guidelines to show what other employers have done.
There are a variety of successful workplace programs that the white paper gives acknowledgment to because they are cost effective programs and are impacting their employees to lose weight. According to this paper there is a reason why workplaces should be concerned about obese workers:
An obese worker is twice as likely to be the one who files a worker’s compensation plan than one who is not obese.
Often medical costs are higher to the point of seven times higher for an obese worker.
Obese workers lose about 13 more days of work because of injury or illness (according to Duke University Medical Center Analysis)
Many firms are spending about $285,000 per year in extra costs because of obese employees (based on a firm of 1,000 employees).
The programs that are working for employees take into consideration the fact that people need more education on nutrition and other aspects of good healthcare. Employers recognize that they must help obese employees find the resources they need, in order to help their weight loss.
Employers also understand that obese employees can cost them money over time because they are prone to problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. By offering programs to address the health issues in their workplace employers can have a larger impact on obesity.
The challenge for the workplace is that employees tend to eat unhealthy snacks, and they are more sedentary now because they sit in front of their computers. Some of the things that some workplaces have found effective to help their employees lose weight include:
- Installing vending machines with healthier snacks
- Offering incentives to employees who become active with Health Risk Assessments
- Giving two half hour exercise breaks twice a week which helps them decrease blood pressure and increase productivity.
- Creating on-the-job employer based weight loss programs
- Providing access to coaches to help in individual weight loss programs.
- Working with community resources to initiate weight loss programs.
Since employees spend most of their time in the workplace than anywhere else, it stands to reason that employers would want to help.
Health Advocate, Inc. founded in 2001, leads the nation in independent health assistance and advocacy. They help 4,300 employers who represent over 14 million Americans. They provide information about various aspects of healthcare and wellness solutions for employers and their employees.
This white paper titled, “Obesity in America: Workplace Solutions” is available from Health Advocate.
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