“This is not about being thin. It’s not even about being fit. It’s about staying healthy."
Workers may be accustomed to hearing their employers push for a lean and productive organization. But what if the employer means “lean” literally?
How would workers take to the idea of organizations taking an interest in their weight?
Well, to start: make sure that the fight against obesity is never framed in terms of body image.
“This is not about being thin,” said Lydia Makrides, director of the Atlantic Health and Wellness Institute. “It’s not even about being fit. It’s about staying healthy,” said Makrides.
The health consequences are serious, said Makrides. According to Health Canada, more than half of Canadians are overweight, and 29 per cent are overweight at a level where health risks are probable. Obese people are four times more likely to have diabetes, three times more likely to have high blood pressure, and five times more likely to have heart disease.
And the cost to business is considerable. Overweight people typically cost 140 per cent more than others in heath services. “Inactivity and excessive weight are the two biggest cost drivers for businesses,” said Makrides.
The fight has only just begun, added Makrides, who urged organizations to take advantage of workplace wellness programs to promote the importance of good nutrition and regular physical activity.
At MDS Nordion, a Kanata, Ont.-based medical technology firm, manager of health and well-being Suzanne Fergusson takes a holistic approach.
“We don’t target people who are obese. What we’re doing here is promoting a healthy lifestyle, on a holistic level,” said Fergusson.
So even though she makes sure the cafeteria is stocked with healthy options like low-fat cheese and low-fat mayonnaise, “that’s not to say we don’t provide comfort food as well. We don’t take away the french fries, but we do offer salad as well. Salad on the side, dressing on the side.”
Apart from information sessions on good nutrition and healthy cooking, health and wellness staff at MDS are also available for personal consultation when employees need help setting and meeting their exercise or diet goals, said Fergusson.
“We work with people to help motivate them, help them look at what their goals are, help them make the adjustments and break down the barriers so that they can move forward with whatever they’re trying to achieve.”
There are many ways an employer can promote healthy exercise and good eating. (See sidebar, page 25). Depending on the culture, some may be bold enough to organize events and competitions that directly address obesity, said Kathryn Cestnick, vice-president of the National Quality Institute, an Ottawa-based non-profit organization that promotes healthy workplace practices.
Some organizations even hold weigh-in competitions between departments to challenge workers to lose weight as a group. “Some have thermometers to show the number of pounds lost throughout the company. But these organizations may have a family atmosphere. The people there are encouraging of each other. They have the kind of culture where this sort of thing works well,” Cestnick added.
And as sensitive as the issue can be for some, not everyone is shy about doing something about their weight. At Toronto-based Celestica International, an electronics manufacturer, it was workers who stepped forward and expressed their wish to bring in a Weight Watchers program, said manager of environment, health and safety Frank O’Rourke.
The company agreed to the request, and made space available for the regular meetings. Years later, the program is still going strong, O’Rourke said.
Thanks to the broad marketing efforts of weight loss programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, it’s more acceptable for people to say that they’re doing something about their weight, said Janet Young, manager of wellness consulting at Buffett Taylor and Associates, a Whitby, Ont.-based health benefits consultancy.
Interest in weight management has been climbing up in workers’ top ten programs of interest, she added. When employers kick in with a full or partial reimbursement, “more people will come. But the reimbursement isn’t going to make or break the program. We always see a high interest in weight management programs.”
Young added, however, that there’s still a level of sensitivity attached to the issue. That’s why Buffett Taylor calls its programs weight management and not weight loss programs.
“It’s like stress management. We find that although everyone is stressed out and wants stress management programs, when you hold them, they’re not well attended. And we believe that’s because people then identify themselves as having a problem. There is a bit of a stigma attached to it.”
How to fight the bulge
Organizations can start by doing a health risk appraisal, which includes a lifestyle assessment, blood sugar level, cholesterol, blood pressure measurements and body mass index calculations, said Lydia Makrides, director of the Atlantic Health and Wellness Institute.
“Find out what people have besides obesity. Are people’s blood pressure elevated? What about their cholesterol? Are they smokers? Are they trying to exercise? Do they want to do something about their obesity?”
Doing this type of screening helps create awareness for employees. The aggregate numbers may help in obtaining buy-in from management.
Then, involve employees in determining what they need and are interested in.
Consider these ideas:
•Organize inter-departmental competitions: Challenge teams to cumulatively walk the distance to the next town. Draw a map to keep track of distance walked. Or, throw out a playful challenge to departments to lose weight;
•Provide information: Bring in a dietitian to answer questions about fad diets, metabolism, and ways to read a food label;
•Offer alternatives: Provide nutritional alternatives at the cafeteria. Make portions smaller; and
•Promote athletics: Support sports teams and events like employee softball and hockey.
Above all, stressed Makrides, bring those programs to the workplace.
“You mustn’t expect them to finish their work and go to the gym somewhere afterward. Many organizations give employees a corporate rate on gym memberships, and very few people will go. People are busy. Usually the people who go to the gym are young people and people who can afford it.”
How would workers take to the idea of organizations taking an interest in their weight?
Well, to start: make sure that the fight against obesity is never framed in terms of body image.
“This is not about being thin,” said Lydia Makrides, director of the Atlantic Health and Wellness Institute. “It’s not even about being fit. It’s about staying healthy,” said Makrides.
The health consequences are serious, said Makrides. According to Health Canada, more than half of Canadians are overweight, and 29 per cent are overweight at a level where health risks are probable. Obese people are four times more likely to have diabetes, three times more likely to have high blood pressure, and five times more likely to have heart disease.
And the cost to business is considerable. Overweight people typically cost 140 per cent more than others in heath services. “Inactivity and excessive weight are the two biggest cost drivers for businesses,” said Makrides.
The fight has only just begun, added Makrides, who urged organizations to take advantage of workplace wellness programs to promote the importance of good nutrition and regular physical activity.
At MDS Nordion, a Kanata, Ont.-based medical technology firm, manager of health and well-being Suzanne Fergusson takes a holistic approach.
“We don’t target people who are obese. What we’re doing here is promoting a healthy lifestyle, on a holistic level,” said Fergusson.
So even though she makes sure the cafeteria is stocked with healthy options like low-fat cheese and low-fat mayonnaise, “that’s not to say we don’t provide comfort food as well. We don’t take away the french fries, but we do offer salad as well. Salad on the side, dressing on the side.”
Apart from information sessions on good nutrition and healthy cooking, health and wellness staff at MDS are also available for personal consultation when employees need help setting and meeting their exercise or diet goals, said Fergusson.
“We work with people to help motivate them, help them look at what their goals are, help them make the adjustments and break down the barriers so that they can move forward with whatever they’re trying to achieve.”
There are many ways an employer can promote healthy exercise and good eating. (See sidebar, page 25). Depending on the culture, some may be bold enough to organize events and competitions that directly address obesity, said Kathryn Cestnick, vice-president of the National Quality Institute, an Ottawa-based non-profit organization that promotes healthy workplace practices.
Some organizations even hold weigh-in competitions between departments to challenge workers to lose weight as a group. “Some have thermometers to show the number of pounds lost throughout the company. But these organizations may have a family atmosphere. The people there are encouraging of each other. They have the kind of culture where this sort of thing works well,” Cestnick added.
And as sensitive as the issue can be for some, not everyone is shy about doing something about their weight. At Toronto-based Celestica International, an electronics manufacturer, it was workers who stepped forward and expressed their wish to bring in a Weight Watchers program, said manager of environment, health and safety Frank O’Rourke.
The company agreed to the request, and made space available for the regular meetings. Years later, the program is still going strong, O’Rourke said.
Thanks to the broad marketing efforts of weight loss programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, it’s more acceptable for people to say that they’re doing something about their weight, said Janet Young, manager of wellness consulting at Buffett Taylor and Associates, a Whitby, Ont.-based health benefits consultancy.
Interest in weight management has been climbing up in workers’ top ten programs of interest, she added. When employers kick in with a full or partial reimbursement, “more people will come. But the reimbursement isn’t going to make or break the program. We always see a high interest in weight management programs.”
Young added, however, that there’s still a level of sensitivity attached to the issue. That’s why Buffett Taylor calls its programs weight management and not weight loss programs.
“It’s like stress management. We find that although everyone is stressed out and wants stress management programs, when you hold them, they’re not well attended. And we believe that’s because people then identify themselves as having a problem. There is a bit of a stigma attached to it.”
How to fight the bulge
Organizations can start by doing a health risk appraisal, which includes a lifestyle assessment, blood sugar level, cholesterol, blood pressure measurements and body mass index calculations, said Lydia Makrides, director of the Atlantic Health and Wellness Institute.
“Find out what people have besides obesity. Are people’s blood pressure elevated? What about their cholesterol? Are they smokers? Are they trying to exercise? Do they want to do something about their obesity?”
Doing this type of screening helps create awareness for employees. The aggregate numbers may help in obtaining buy-in from management.
Then, involve employees in determining what they need and are interested in.
Consider these ideas:
•Organize inter-departmental competitions: Challenge teams to cumulatively walk the distance to the next town. Draw a map to keep track of distance walked. Or, throw out a playful challenge to departments to lose weight;
•Provide information: Bring in a dietitian to answer questions about fad diets, metabolism, and ways to read a food label;
•Offer alternatives: Provide nutritional alternatives at the cafeteria. Make portions smaller; and
•Promote athletics: Support sports teams and events like employee softball and hockey.
Above all, stressed Makrides, bring those programs to the workplace.
“You mustn’t expect them to finish their work and go to the gym somewhere afterward. Many organizations give employees a corporate rate on gym memberships, and very few people will go. People are busy. Usually the people who go to the gym are young people and people who can afford it.”
