According to research by PMI Health Group, almost one third (31%) of employees believe that their employer should help them to lose weight.
As more and more of us spend a huge chunk of time in the office, it’s not surprising that workers are starting to think that businesses should take more responsibility for the health of their workforce. Obesity is an issue that’s continuing to have an impact on our society as a whole, and the consequences can be extremely serious.
The study involved 582 adults in full-time or part-time employment in the UK. 34% said that they felt their bosses had a moral obligation to help them to lead a healthier lifestyle, and 35% believed that incentivised weight loss programmes could be a way forward. Interestingly, men were slightly more interested in weight loss schemes being offered by their employers than women.
A big question here is whether or not this is really a ‘work’ problem. A little further digging though demonstrates that the two are actually very closely linked. By giving employees the tools they need to get in shape, you could be minimising sickness absence and also creating a workforce that’s productive, engaged, and motivated.
It could be the case that this survey highlights an increasingly popular school of thought. A ruling from the European Court of Justice stated that severe obesity should be classed as a disability. As well, back in October 2014, the chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens, issued a report suggesting that employees in England could be awarded with cash or shopping vouchers for losing weight as part of a plan to tackle the obesity crisis.
Regardless of whether or not you think that you should play a part in keeping your employees’ trim, the key takeaway here is this: They’re starting to expect more from you than ever before when it comes to health and wellbeing, and if you want to keep your business profitable and productive, you can’t afford to ignore this. Want to talk more about this or any other employee issues? Then call me for a FREE 30 minute consultation.
