Everyone has something that they wish they can improve about their work life. Based on a recent survey, many people share the same goal that, if achieved, can do great things for their personal and professional life: lose weight.
Close to 60 percent of workers today feel like they're overweight, according to a new poll conducted by online job search engine CareerBuilder. That's up from 55 percent in 2014.
Additionally, at 42 percent, many of these same people say that they've gained weight since they started working for their employer, a 3 percentage point increase from the 39 percent who indicated as such last year.
Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder chief human resources officer, noted that this weighty issue is not only one that affects workers themselves, but business owners and human resources managers as well because of increased workplace absences.
"The health of a company's workforce is a paramount issue for many employers, as neglecting it can significantly dampen workplace morale and productivity," said Haefner. "There's a clear incentive to make wellness and work-life balance a focus of organizational culture."
One of the ways in which employers are aiming to help their workers achieve their fitness goals – as well as increase their company's productivity – is through workplace wellness benefits programs. The CareerBuilder survey found that 1 in 4 workers – 27 percent – have access to employer-sponsored wellness benefits.
66 percent don't make use of employers' wellness opportunities
However, there seems to be a disconnect between employees actually utilizing these programs. Nearly two thirds of respondents in the survey indicated that they didn't take advantage of wellness benefits, like discounted offers and fitness clubs and onsite workout facilities.
What many business owners have found success with is incentivized wellness initiatives, where when workers achieve a fitness goal, they're rewarded with various financial perks, like gift cards and retail store discounts.
In a five-year observational study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that while employee benefits programs cost money to implement, these expenses are offset over time through incentivized workplace wellness programs.
Healthy living lowers risk, cost of disease
The report found that because being healthier lowers the risk of being stricken with various conditions and diseases – like hypertension, heart disease and diabetes – medical costs are reduced, thanks to individuals avoiding conditions that can be expensive to treat.
"Although incorporating incentivized health management strategies in employer-sponsored health insurance benefit designs can serve as a useful tool for enhancing the health and wellness of health care workers, new approaches are also needed not only to encourage more workers to reduce health risks, but also to increase the magnitude of the risk shift over time," the report stated.
Wellness programs have broad-based support among employees, even though participation is often limited. More than 95 percent of employer organizations support employee well-being initiatives, according to a survey conducted by human resources association WorldatWork. Close to three-quarters of companies that make well-being opportunities available to their staff plan on increasing these offerings between now and 2017.
"Successful organizations are discovering that an innovative approach to well-being goes beyond the employee's physical health," said Rose Stanley, WorldatWork senior practice leader.
She added that in addition to workout facilities, more companies are offering other incentives to wellness program participation, like more flexible work schedules as well as child care and elder care assistance programs.
Some have argued that tying wellness incentives with program participation violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. This issue was recently brought to the forefront when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a grievance against multinational consumer product conglomerate Honeywell International. EEOC maintained that forcing workers to undergo medical exams, which was a prerequisite of Honeywell's wellness program, was out of step with the ADA.
This matter has since been resolved and EEOC has produced guidance that can help ensure employers make available programs that are in compliance with federal law.
