Study: Disturbing trend on employee health
July 1, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Health care, Uncategorized
As firms continue to fight for their survival in the current recession, an increasing number of their employees have moved up a weight class – or two.
According to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, 43% of U.S. workers have gained weight in their current jobs.
A combination of stress over the current economy and poor eating habits seems to be spurring the increased weight gain in the U.S. workforce.
Just how much weight are employees packing on? According to the study:
* 25% have put on more than 10 lbs., and
* 12% have put on more than 20 lbs.
The study also dissected people’s eating habits and found:
• 39% of employees eat out for lunch two or more times per week
• 12% of employees buy lunch from a vending machine at least once a week
• 67% of employees snack at least once a day, and
• 24% of employees admit to snacking twice a day.
There’s a good deal of research that proves unhealthy staffers carry significantly higher healthcare costs. Taking a proactive approach to helping these employees can benefit their overall well-being, as well as your bottom line.
Fortunately, reversing bad habits doesn’t take a complete lifestyle overhaul. Experts stress that little things can have a tremendous impact in halting the weight gain, including:
• bringing a lunch to work
• making it a point to get up from your desk several times throughout the day
• taking walks during lunch breaks, and
• biking to/from work.
Tags: CareerBuilder, weight
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Our admin management team seems to bring cookies and ice cream for social interaction with in the office where as Fruit would be a much healthier approach and would give the message that they care about our health as well. Especially for those who are sensitive to sugar…fruit is something that just about everyone can have.
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:38 am
You are absolutely correct. 25% of our office and project mgrs come in and are already HUNGRY. Someone goes out and gets McDonalds or breakfast burritos, etc. Lunch is the same thing. They start looking at menus about 10:30.
It also doesn’t help to have a boss put so much stress on office staff that it causes illness. I, myself, have had cancer twice caused by high levels of stress. Even though by supervisor knows this, the stress is loaded on daily with threats and accusations that are absolutely unfounded. However, at my age I need to work and finding something else is almost impossible. Too many people out there looking. I need the health insurance and my benefits and can’t make it on early retirement with Social Security.
There doesn’t seem to be any loyalty to employees who are here day after day protecting the company and owner’s interests. In turn loyalty to the company and owner is down the tubes. Employees feel very abused in the work place.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
There are several critical contributing factors having an impact on employee health status above and below the surface of this trend. Stress, declining physical activity, poor nutrition, access to health care … Our typical wellness programs aren’t meeting expectations. It is surely time to look at what is and is not working. Creating supportive work environments, incentives for measurable behavior change, and perhaps a push now and then that does not simply cost shift the burden of care to the employee are actions we can all endorse.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Between the morning donuts and cookie snacks, and by the time the employees are back from lunch, the productivity has gone done. I have made recommendation to management to stop bringing in donuts and to bring healthier snacks. We have several office workers that have had health problems, continiously finding themselves in the doctors office. They are also the same employees that are overweight. Whether or not there is a corrolation, it is something to consider.