Workplace Obesity: A question of Responsibilities

Friday, July, 06 2012

Hardly a day goes by when we are not reminded by health, government, and business leaders that Americans have become overweight and in many cases obese. The problem is not that many workers are just overweight and obese, they are also unhealthily and at risk for several diseases including Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, musculoskeletal, and other weight related disorders. Workplace obesity is a concern for employers, since overweight and obese employees have higher rates of absenteeism, lower productivity, and higher medical costs than their normal weight counterparts.

Due to the issues mentioned, employers certainly have a stake in promoting healthily weight management through educational wellness programs. Some employers have gone so far to introduce walking programs; others have begun to offer discounted fitness program memberships as a means of maintaining and improving worker health. Of course none of this works unless the individual employee is engaged enough to participant in the programs. With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), employers are permitted to provide a financial incentive to workers who participant in workplace wellness programs. Currently, that incentive is capped at 20% (30% in 2014) of the cost of employee health care, but can increase to as much as 50% with the discretionary approval of the Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2014 and beyond.

Aside from any financial incentives, workers have a self-interest in improving their own health and well being. Unfortunately, there are many perceived barriers to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, however, simple changes in what we eat (more fruit/vegetables), when we eat (no mid-night meals), and getting more exercise, can make meaningful changes in our health and well being. Even when at work, we can make small changes by walking the stairs rather than taking the elevator, avoiding the vending machine treats by selecting healthier alternatives, and foregoing that double cheeseburger and fries at lunch.

Clearly the responsibility to manage our health and lifestyle is in the best interest of health, government, and business leaders and employees themselves. With health care costs taking a larger portion of employer revenues and employee paychecks; money spent on health care related to poor health and lifestyle habits could find its way to both the employer’s bottom line as well as employee’s take-home pay.