Is Your Organization Healthy?
As per Harvard School of Public Health, worldwide the rate of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, with just over 200 million adult men and just under 300 million adult women obese.
Did you know that being overweight and being obese are inter-connected to work conditions? Adverse work conditions can affect the stress hormones in ways where the employee can undergo weight gain.
This may be due to the long hours spent on the computer where the employee gets no activity during the day. It could be due to high-demanding work environments where employee productivity is given the highest value. Even if that means that the overall health of the employee is declining.
WHAT IS BMI?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a statistical measurement for body fat based on height, weight, age, and gender.
This helps us determine if the individual is healthy, over-weight or obese.
An individual’s normal BMI falls anywhere between 18.5 and 25 Anyone with a BMI between 25 and 30 is overweight and over 30 is obese.
If their BMI is below 18.5 then they are considered to be underweight.
OBESITY AND IT’S LINKAGES-
Obesity in employees can cause many problems in the long run including muscle disorders and bone disorders. Employed individuals spend half of their lives working. The pressure and demanding deadlines can affect their nutritional habits. They might start skipping their workout routines as they get too tired by the time, they reach home. All this may cause significant weight gain. Psychological stress from work can also induce weight gain in employees.
Obesity is a disorder that can be a huge burden to an organization. Several health issues like cardiovascular problems and cancer are directly linked to being overweight. Organizations that prioritize the BMI checkups of their employees and keep a track of their employee’s health statuses can ensure a thriving workforce. This workforce is not compromising on their wellness and in return gives their 100% to the organization.
Obesity alone is related to huge healthcare expenditures in organizations. The durability of an employee is crucial for the company’s performance. But what if we can prevent it?
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THE LINK BETWEEN OBESITY AND WORKPLACE-
Employers must have workplace interventions to reduce obesity in employees. This will not only prove to be beneficial to the employee but also to employers. It is beneficial in improving productivity and reducing indirect healthcare costs due to excess weight. These interventions must not only focus on increasing physical activity or decreasing sedentary time at work. It must also focus on improving nutrition.
Obese employees have taken more sick leaves in comparison to regular employees. This leads to reduced capacity at work which might reduce the proficiency at work.
It is an employer’s responsibility to intervene at such points that they feel an employee’s health is at risk.
INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH
Interventions to address the overweight issue in employees must be conducted only if the employers are sure about the problem.
This issue needs to be addressed keeping everyone’s emotions in mind. Someone’s weight must be discussed only if it has been proven to be causing problems in their performance. Someone’s weight can be a very sensitive topic for most people, and many can even take offense if it is not handled in the humblest way possible.
Before every intervention. One must consider the possibility of hurting the employees’ feelings and then plan the execution.
Workplace interventions can also include introduction of health and wellness alternatives to employees
Wellness platforms like the TWChallenge app is a 12-week challenge alternative for a digitalized solution. Employees can choose from a variety of challenges for:
All the programs on TWChallenge app assess employee wellness through relevant metrics such as BMI to project improvement in ‘Organization Health ’ before and after the intervention.
Wellness programs are a fun way to approach obese and overweight employees who have been reflecting a poor performance.
This can ensure that you are giving your employee a chance to get their health on track. It can also share a space where they feel their employer is thinking of their wellbeing