The holidays are notorious for being the time of year when most people pack on a few extra pounds. While a few pounds may not seem significant, when you add up several years' worth of holiday weight gain, they can make the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy employee.
Obesity is an epidemic. The increase in automation, sedentary working conditions, and high caloric foods contribute to rising obesity figures in the workplace. Unfortunately, the problem doesn't stop there - obesity is linked to diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.
Not only is obesity linked to lower productivity, it's also an economic concern that costs the American economy billions in lost revenue every year. Absenteeism, disability, injury, and higher employee healthcare costs are all linked to obesity.
Tips for Helping Employees to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
Offering employees strategies to avoid holiday weight gain goes hand-in-hand with a workplace wellbeing program. Here are a few easy steps you can take to incorporate weight management into your workplace wellness strategy:
- Encourage employees to plan meals and ensure there are nutritious snack in breakrooms or company vending machines. Help combat the temptation to snack on holiday treats or venture to the doughnut shop at lunch time.
- Employee education is critical. Having a working understanding of how macronutrients, carbs, and sugars lead to fat storage can lead to more sensible decisions. In addition, eating more calories than your body needs, regardless of the source, causes weight gain.
- Success breeds success when it comes to healthy habits. By making small healthy choices and seeing the results, employees will avoid the downward spiral that results in more snacking and a sense of futility about resisting temptation in the form of cookies and treats.
Consider a healthy holiday challenge, such as a “Maintain Don’t Gain” program where employees are encouraged to maintain their weight during the holidays.
These tips are simple to implement, and can have a big impact. Any investment in helping employees avoid holiday weight gain is an investment in the company. A great example? For every 1 pound of weight loss, there is about a 4 pound reduction of stress on the joints.
While the overarching idea behind a wellbeing program is to augment health outcomes, employers around the country have been equally enticed by the prospect of lower health insurance premiums. Unfortunately affecting insurance premiums hasn't been what most companies are experiencing. However, there are certainly the less tangible but very important results of having healthier, happier, more engaged employees.
