We are in the midst of examining a very detailed, decade-old Forbes.com article. Authored by Bruce Y. Lee, M.D., it explored some myths about the extent to which companies are able to influence the amount of obesity experienced within the ranks of their employees. At the time, contemporary Duke University research showed that obesity-related issues cost American businesses, overall, just short of $75 billion each year.
More specificity was found in this quotation:
Another study measured that while normal-weight employees cost on average $3,838 per year in healthcare costs, overweight to morbidly obese employees cost between $4,252 and $8,067. Each additional body mass index (BMI) point above normal weight costs $194-$222 per year per employee.
Significantly, bosses at every level were reminded that weight-related issues tend to sneak up and may not become obvious until after some real damage has already been done. Consequently, it is always wise to have a finger on the pulse of industry-wide trends and interventions.
High employee turnover is never a good sign, and obesity-related issues can influence employee behavior to a very great extent, so the smart executive keeps an eye on that area. Advice in this area can be just as true today as when businesses began to track such matters. Overall, the author urges bosses to remember that substantial change might be needed, and that…
[…] in the end, the heart of a business is its employees. Having employees who are overweight and unhealthy is akin to a football team trying to compete with chronically injured players. If you view obesity as a completely separate issue from your business, you do so at your peril.
But once the people in charge become aware of the potential undesirable impacts of obesity, relative to the big picture, they should not be discouraged by all the possible negative outcomes. As always, “fore-warned is fore-armed,” and it would be a mistake, according to Dr. Lee, for employers to think there was not much they could do.
In some work environments, for instance, it might help to offer the alternative of a standing desk. A slogan that was heard in this context was, “Sitting is the new smoking” — in other words, a harmful yet totally avoidable habit. Of course, many job descriptions preclude sitting and require constant standing. But in circumstances where sitting has always been considered the normal state for workers, to forbid it might be construed as gratuitous cruelty, and the basis for a legal challenge. Still, in many situations and workplaces, leeway could be built in.
While some things are simply not done — like a bank teller eating while taking care of customers at the window — in many situations company policy allows leeway for habits and preferences. Choosing a couple of articles at random brings to light some of the current thinking in this area. A website for professional chefs asks, “Is it good to eat while working?“:
A survey found that over 60% of employees regularly eat at their desks, indicating that this trend is not just common but almost normalized.
Amongst people who work seated at desks, perhaps. What about lifeguards? Firefighters? Heart surgeons? Okay, the author probably meant that, among the sub-population of office-bound, sedentary workers, more than half are accustomed to eating at their desks. (Leaving aside matters related to obesity, their habits might directly impact the company’s pest control budget.)
(To be continued…)
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “Obesity Is Everyone’s Business,” Forbes.com, 09/01/15
Source: “Is It Good to Eat While Working? Uncovering the Truth.,” MeatChefTools.com, 02/03/25
Image by StockSnap/Pixabay
FAQs and Media Requests: 
