I really hate talking about fat, but it’s out there. Everywhere. I can’t go two days without reading an article about the intersection of obesity and work. The HR Capitalist recently wrote about his support of employee wellness plans, and while I love the man behind the capitalism, I hate all forms of employer-sponsored wellness programs.
With deep investment and very little proof of a return on that investment, your company can ignore the scant science out there (…like the science that links obesity and lack of sleep…) and work you to death in the quest for higher productivity. Your company can’t afford to send you to the sales training seminar in Toronto, but they can afford to hire nutrition counselors and fitness experts to guilt you into shape.
Thanks. but. no. thanks.
Now we have word from MSNBC that there’s a fat gene out there that affects 30% of people with European ancestry — and you can either live Amishly (& build barns) or get 3-4 hours of moderate exercise each day to combat the variant gene’s impact on your body.
Let me ask you something: if your workforce is genetically predisposed to obesity, can you realistically fight the body’s genetic structure with Weight Watchers? Call me crazy, but a juice bar in the cafeteria and a chair massage seem like ineffective tools to combat rising health care costs in America.
Here are some Punk Rock HR ideas for slashing health care costs in Corporate America:
- Why don’t we start by eliminating some basic inefficiencies in health care administration?
- Why are all doctors forced to carry expensive insurance/liability premiums when fewer than 5% of doctors are actually involved in litigation?
- Why are my medical records written on dead trees and stored in old file cabinets?
I will gladly do my part as an American and lose five pounds when my fellow citizens join me in demanding accountability from our government and our health insurance providers. I’m ready to pony up some cash and invest in a culture that pays people a fair & competitive wage, creates a healthy employer/employee relationship, and stops favoring businesses that profit from a decline in America’s health — like the restaurant industry and agribusiness.
Are you with me, yo?
((This rant was brought to you by The American Farm Bureau Federation, my fat ass, and a tube of raw cookie dough.))
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I’m with you. And I’m joining the Y next month.
Thank you for not holding back. This is the Punk Rock HR Blogger we all know and love.
I think Josh really had an effect on you…
Great post!
As one who has recently come to the general realization that I need to eat better and workout regularly, I salute you!
Two nits:
1) Juice bars are not healthy, generally speaking. Lots and lots of carbs = unbalanced diet.
2) Seriously, you’re going to hang your goal of losing 5 lbs on the gov’t getting it’s act together? While I’m all for making our Representatives more accountable, we’re much more powerful as citizens if we do stuff. And you’re much more likely to make progress on your goal!
Go and work out! It’s fun and it will stimulate some more creative thought.
BTW, I also blog about my crazy workouts at http://hardly.sweat365.com/home/
Yup, after thinking about it, had to write about your post here: http://hardly.sweat365.com/2008/09/09/making-a-deal-with-the-devil/
I don’t think blaming resturaunts is the solution either. People have free will and choice. As Americans we need to take responsibility for our choices and not pawn it off on someone else. If you fat gene or no gene you, yourself need to take appropriate action. Is it difficult, YES. But oh well. And this is coming from an overweight person.
I agree-ish.
I always forget what I’ve said about wellness in general but I don’t like it that much and it is difficult to get a ROI. That being said, since employers in this country are currently burdened with providing health care, I think they have responsibility to do anything and everything to change behavior and reduce costs. When health care costs are beating inflation by four to five times, all of the stuff you are talking about in addition to what Kris suggests is within the correct range.
I will say that trying to change employees behavior is about as frustrating as changing the things you advocate changing in the health care industry. My head is bruised from banging my head against the wall too but I don’t think there needs to division in this fight. I think the more absurd the action, the more that it shows the need and brings attention for health care reform.
I have a great post that is sitting in my drafts folder that I should complete about health care. I am trying to make it sexy though. It is very difficult.
@Jesse Josh is my new boyfriend.
@Dave I think you missed it. I’m not advocating exercise or diets. I’m advocating MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS (MYOB) policies where you go to work, eat what you want, and make your own decisions in a way that’s appropriately accountable to yourself, your family, and to your own moral & ethical beliefs in life. You pay me to work, not to reduce my cholesterol. Also, I believe in JUICE because FRUIT. I support and endorse fruits, just as much as I support and endorse bacon.
@Nick I’m not blaming restaurants. I’m blaming the lobbyists who work on behalf of the high fructose corn syrup and fast food industry. They have undue influence on our government policies and influence thought-leaders and decision-makers with money instead of facts.
@Lance Nothing is sexy about health care but you should publish it ASAP!
@laurie I may have been hallucinating, but recently while watching the Discovery Channel I saw a commercial praising the wonder of corn syrup, paid for by some corn syrup lobbying group. It took place at a picnic, where Mom #1 snipes at Mom #2 for daring to pour out some sort of brightly colored, corn syrup-sweetened fruit punch. Mom #2 snipes back trumpeting that it’s ever so much more healthy than those nasty artificial sweeteners. Corn is natural! Corn is good!
Please tell me someone else saw that commercial, and it wasn’t just my Splenda-addled imagination…
You had me at Cookie Dough! Wellness plans are for suckers! Most employees barely know how to use their health insurance for basic healthcare, let alone additional features and discounts that are added to brain-wash people into thinking the coverage is going to “cover” them. K.I.S.S.
I did see the High Fructose Corn Syrup commercial, it left me dazed and confused.
I have seen these corn syrup commercials and I am partial to the one where a lovely couple are picnicing in the park arguing over a popscicle. Proving once and for all, if you love someone you will feed them high fructose corn syrup.
Whereas I agree wellness programs can’t be proven to help production, in general they are a great theory…companies should care about employee health, not for production value but for love of employees.
@Laurie, I’m also a fan of fruit/juice….both are imperative for cocktails!
I have never understand the wellness program. It is an employee’s choice of what they do but employers are throwing the wellness program for what? If they’re serious about a person’s well being, get them a Wii and the Wii board. That alone saves a lot of money than going into the gym.
And that’s wonderful you support Bacon. Diet Coke love it as well.
http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Gross/Diet_Coke_with_Bacon.jpg
Can’t get no wrong with bacon, except adding another meat to it.
@Perrik I never saw that commercial. Maybe I’m not watching enough Lifetime or WE???
@CoolAid I love how my employees were always surprised when they had to go through open enrollment. I’m like, “Didn’t I explain this to you, last year?”
@HRPrincess You can’t have a margarita without — uh — the lime.
@TracyTran I like bacon with my canadian bacon.
You are so funny. But hand me the cookie dough NOW or somebody gets hurt.
I am a fan of WeightWatchers (it’s very non-faddish. I lost 40 lbs thru a WW program at work, and kept it off, also with WW’s help.) Moreover, onsite WW cost my employer NADA. We paid for it ourselves (personal investment — an important part of making it so effective, actually), while the employer merely agreed to lend WW the weekly space in a conference room (during off-hours.)
OMG – Tracy, UR a genius. Wii’s for every company break room! Maybe that will get them off our backs.
ok, so i gained 20 lbs when i started my job last year… i’ve been laid off, so does that mean i’ll lose it again? i’ll let you know… but i suspect working a typical 9-5 job is bad for your health…
as for the hfcs ads, i never saw a commercial but there was an ad in my parenting magazine. i nearly flipped when i saw it! there’s nothing natural or safe about hfcs: http://www.naturalnews.com/high_fructose_corn_syrup.html i’m outraged that they’re trying to tell us it’s safe… they shouldn’t have to try so hard if it really were harmless, right? ugh, makes me sick to even think about it…
@darah You + 20 lbs = gorgeous. Don’t doubt it.