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This is a guest post by Weight Ladder, who writes about fitness and weight loss at Weight Ladder.
With the news that Japan will now begin measuring waist lines, in an attempt to force their citizens to lose weight, it has never been more important to compare the cost of being heavy or healthy. Part of Japan’s plan is to begin charging employers for their overweight employees and many of these same tactics are making their way into the Western world as well (example Clarian Health of Indianapolis). In an effort to recoup their costs, some businesses are even moving to dock money from an overweight worker’s paycheck. While most of these new cuts are not expected to take place until 2009, it is obvious that big changes are coming.
While you can debate the fairness of these tactics, or talk about discrimination, the fact remains, being overweight can be costly. A recent study from two Stanford health economists found that, “obese workers are paid less only when they have employer-sponsored health insurance.” Indicating that employers were recognizing the risk and compensating employees acordingly for the very real risk of increased health care costs.
We’ve long known that being overweight does end up costing more. The cost of food aside, clothes are more expensive and harder to find, automobiles may not get optimum gas mileage and the costs for insurance are incredibly high. Is this forcing the population to get healthy? As of now, the answer is no. American’s waistlines are still ballooning. However, if BMI and waist size suddenly has an effect on our weekly paychecks that may change.
While companies may see small changes in revenue if their workers lose weight, the industry that will continue to profit is the diet industry. Currently, more than $40 billion is spent annually on diets, diet programs and materials every year. If thousands of workers were suddenly forced to lose weight, that number could easily double or even triple.
Since many of us won’t change until the news really hits home, let’s look at just 2 of the ways that being overweight can affect you right now.
- Job Advancement — First, the overweight are typically not as secure in their jobs as their slimmer counterparts. Promotions are passed over, and wages are lower. The risk of losing your job due to the fact you are overweight is very high, especially if your employer simply cannot afford the health insurance.
- Productivity — Secondly, the overweight may not be as productive in many instances. No one is discounting the fact that you have to feel good in order to work well. The secondary health conditions that many overweight people face may also begin to affect not only their job performance, but also their time at work.
The bottom line is that being overweight costs more money. If you’re looking to free up extra cash each month, and gain more job security, losing weight may be very beneficial. It is a tough situation that is facing the millions of people whose waist sizes may not be optimum, but as many of us know, life isn’t fair. Right now, there has never been a better reason to shape up and get healthy. Your wallet will definitely thank you. Besides, personally I am tired of being overweight… Aren’t you?
This article was submitted by a Weight Ladder, author of Weight Loss Journal. Here are his weight loss pictures. Follow and encourage as he climbs down the weight ladder.
Mac
13 responses so far ↓
1 WeightLadder // Aug 5, 2008 at 7:06 am
@GFS: Thanks for the opportunity
@GFS Readers: What do you think?
2 Chris Culbertson // Aug 5, 2008 at 8:21 am
Great article. I saw the Japan article and had not seen many blogs touch on it. Thanks for the connection with Weight Ladder too.
3 DR // Aug 5, 2008 at 11:20 am
There is a growing “Fat Acceptance” movement growing in North America.
Citing discriminatory practices based upon their weight, some of these people are becoming downright militant.
I have no doubt that in the near future, we will be seeing lawsuits against companies that “unfairly” penalize their overweight employees.
Definitely not a simple topic.
Great post
4 Cecily T // Aug 5, 2008 at 11:55 am
I think this is nuts. After clicking through to the BW article about Clarion, I just feel like there are WAY too many variables around weight/BMI to institute something as simple as that. Yes, you can get a doctor’s note and all that, but that’s a hassle, which I’m sure the doc’s would love…you can choose a ‘bonus’ dr’s appt quarterly (probably a $10-50 co-pay) to get a note to keep your paycheck from being docked?
Incentives for taking a ‘health risks assessment test’ sound nice, until something shows up that you are high-risk for some disease (e.g., I grew up w/ parents who smoked) and then your premium gets raised. This is a slippery sloop, IMO.
But the bottom line is that it’s NOT the company’s business. Your health information belongs to you for the benefit of your health and well-being and can be shared with medical professionals to benefit you. Insurance is part of a job’s benefits. I think if the insurance companies want to work something out between their clients and themselves about this sort of thing, maybe that’s more acceptable.
The last thing I’m going to say about this is that these same companies are often part of the overweight/obesity problem. I worked for a company where eating at your desk was standard, and the hours were long. Sitting in a cube all day and working late doesn’t leave people a lot of free time for exercise, and healthy eating (packing a lunch) requires more time and forethought than eating junky (vending machine for lunch anyone?).
5 Matty // Aug 5, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I HATE the BMI… it’s a grossly inaccurate measure of one’s health and level of physical fitness. It’s the equivalent of saying let’s design car seats that are comfortable for the average human on the bell curve - leaving those of us who aren’t 5′9 extremely uncomfortable.
I’m a 6ft tall male who weighs 225#. I’ve been body-building for years, and even my doctor says I’m in great shape. I exercise on average 5 days a week, eat healthy, and get in plenty of cardio.
But according to the BMI, I’m obese.
6 Marshmallow // Aug 5, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I am tired of being overweight… Aren’t you?
I thought I was. Really, it was tired of being unhealthy and unfit. Now, I’m not tired of being overweight even though I still am. I’m healthier than most people who fall into the ‘normal’ range, though aside from that, if the Japanese measured my waist, they’d start dishing out dieting advice left right and centre, regardless of the fact that I’m already living a healthy lifestyle.
This is why the fat acceptance movement is being so militant about fat discrimination. It’s wrong for people to say, “It’s cheaper to be skinny, so lose the weight, fatties!” And as far as this topic goes, I wholle support them.
7 Marshmallow // Aug 5, 2008 at 6:10 pm
[and that should be 'wholly', rather than 'wholle'. I make spelling mistakes when I'm angry.]
8 Yongho Shin // Aug 5, 2008 at 8:39 pm
You make an interesting note that weight loss can be an indrect method of making more money. I thought about weight loss in a strictly health sense, but with all the benefits that it gives you, it is natural to follow that all the good vibes will start overflowing into your finances, as well.
9 Tony // Aug 6, 2008 at 12:28 am
You made some really great points in this post. It definitely does cost more being fat.
10 elisabeth // Aug 6, 2008 at 7:43 am
I worked for a company that did a lot of that sort of thing; you could get an extra $50-65 a year for filling out the self-assessment, and there were free “coaches” for changing habits, and the insurance company had nurses who would call you up if you had prescriptions for certain drugs, to see if you wanted “more help” in “managing” your condition.
But I’m not sure I saw much progress looking around me. Maybe because there were only carrots, no sticks?
Or, because, as Cicely noted above, the real emphasis was on who was working all the time and taking on the stress, not on who was taking time to go to lunch or attend to stress in other ways!
11 Nicky // Aug 6, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Our workplace is the same as Cecily’s. LOTS of talk about work/life balance, and token efforts at wellbeing things like free fruit once a week and iridology assessments etc, but then they understaff projects and then you end up doing 12-hour days just to try to keep up.
I had an awful bout over April/May/June where I was working the overtime equivalent of 3 weeks work every month. It did shocking things to my life and health - I was in pain all the time, my diet was awful, and ALL my good habits went out the window. The pace has slackened now (mainly because we simply couldn’t keep it up anymore) and I am trying to rebuild those good habits all over again - and vowing not to let it happen again.
So I agree that often the companies are partly to blame for the problem.
However, as to:
“But the bottom line is that it’s NOT the company’s business. ”
I would say that in a country like America where the company pays for your insurance, it IS their business. Fat people cost them more and in the end mean there is less money for bonuses, pay rises, share dividends etc. Is that fair to the healthier people who are probably doing a better job? I don’t think so.
I say that as an obese person myself, btw.
In other places where the insurance is the person’s problem, then that statement would be right.
12 julie // Aug 10, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Automobiles may not get optimum gas mileage? Are you serious? Do you honestly think the 50 pounds that make me obese matter at all compared to the weight of the car? Especially compared to the weight of my car vs. a hummer or something equally outrageous? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard.
13 deepali // Aug 16, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I think if companies want to charge for being overweight, they should use some of that extra money for programs designed to help overweight people lose weight. It seems only fair.
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