Jill Donenfeld: Hummingbird Beats: Wild Squirrel Nut Butter
Daniel Gulati: The Inexperience Advantage
How to Start a Workplace Weight Loss Program
Posted 2/ 28 10 at 4:40 PM |
Text Size:
A A AWho needs The Biggest Loser?
While Washington, D.C. works on healthcare reform, some businesses are quietly trying reforms of their own -- on the health of their employees. It's an obvious ploy to keep health insurance premiums down, but motivating your workforce to be healthier can pay off in other ways, too. Smokers who successfully quit don't need to disappear for stretches at a time in smoke breaks. Then there's that whole sense of accomplishment an employee will feel if you can help him or her run a marathon.
If you're thinking of offering incentives for your employees to go on a collective diet, and wondering how the heck to motivate everyone to be more calorie conscious, take a look at what other businesses are trying.
While Washington, D.C. works on healthcare reform, some businesses are quietly trying reforms of their own -- on the health of their employees. It's an obvious ploy to keep health insurance premiums down, but motivating your workforce to be healthier can pay off in other ways, too. Smokers who successfully quit don't need to disappear for stretches at a time in smoke breaks. Then there's that whole sense of accomplishment an employee will feel if you can help him or her run a marathon.
If you're thinking of offering incentives for your employees to go on a collective diet, and wondering how the heck to motivate everyone to be more calorie conscious, take a look at what other businesses are trying.
Hold a contest and offer a prize. That's the route entrepreneur Dave Bascom took at his search marketing firm, SEO.com. "The employee who drops the most percent of body weight will receive a $500 iPad," says public relations director Dan Bischoff, who notes that the contest, starting March 1, was in part inspired by the opening of an In-N-Out Burger near their office.
Use technology to your advantage. Brian Gramer, the CEO for Avenue Right -- which sells Web-based software that lets its advertising firm clients plan, buy, and sell local media -- challenged his employees to a weight loss contest that started on February 1 and ends on Memorial Day. The participants log into DailyBurn.com and track what they eat and record their workouts. The winner will get a $200 Visa gift certificate, based on their percentage of weight loss rather than the actual pounds lost, since they have employees ranging from 5' to 6'11".
Join Weight Watchers. Nothing fancy, no gadgetry or gimmicks, but apparently it works. Last year, state employees in Oregon lost 60,000 pounds on Weight Watchers. Of course, it's a little less impressive when one factors in that there are around 55,000 state employees in Oregon, according to at least one document from a few years ago. It was successful enough, though, that the state is going to do a similar program this year. Your company, too, could join in the fun.
Partner with a hospital. True, this probably won't work if you're a smaller business, but it might work with a neighborhood clinic. You could find inspiration from Murphy Company, a mechanical contractor with about 1,000 employees, which started an employee wellness program about three years ago. Every year, St. Luke's runs an annual health fair, where they conduct biometric, cholesterol, blood pressure, and bone density screenings for employees. Murphy also does a lot of smaller things that anyone could emulate, like having healthy snack days and (shades of Oregon) their own Weight Watchers group. Last year, 35 employees dropped almost 1,000 pounds. They've also allowed spouses to participate in the program.
"By benchmarking improvements in employees' health," says CFO Rob Koester, "Murphy has been able to bargain down its health insurance costs."
Enroll your employees in a medically supervised weight loss program. Anheuser-Busch, which spends more than $2 million a year on 300 employees, started a Wellness Initiative program last year that allows employees and dependents on the company's health insurance plan to enroll in the program for free if -- and note the "if" they keep the weight off for at least 12 months. Otherwise, the employee ponies up the cash for the program.
Boy, if that isn't incentive to stay thin...
Use technology to your advantage. Brian Gramer, the CEO for Avenue Right -- which sells Web-based software that lets its advertising firm clients plan, buy, and sell local media -- challenged his employees to a weight loss contest that started on February 1 and ends on Memorial Day. The participants log into DailyBurn.com and track what they eat and record their workouts. The winner will get a $200 Visa gift certificate, based on their percentage of weight loss rather than the actual pounds lost, since they have employees ranging from 5' to 6'11".
Join Weight Watchers. Nothing fancy, no gadgetry or gimmicks, but apparently it works. Last year, state employees in Oregon lost 60,000 pounds on Weight Watchers. Of course, it's a little less impressive when one factors in that there are around 55,000 state employees in Oregon, according to at least one document from a few years ago. It was successful enough, though, that the state is going to do a similar program this year. Your company, too, could join in the fun.
Partner with a hospital. True, this probably won't work if you're a smaller business, but it might work with a neighborhood clinic. You could find inspiration from Murphy Company, a mechanical contractor with about 1,000 employees, which started an employee wellness program about three years ago. Every year, St. Luke's runs an annual health fair, where they conduct biometric, cholesterol, blood pressure, and bone density screenings for employees. Murphy also does a lot of smaller things that anyone could emulate, like having healthy snack days and (shades of Oregon) their own Weight Watchers group. Last year, 35 employees dropped almost 1,000 pounds. They've also allowed spouses to participate in the program.
"By benchmarking improvements in employees' health," says CFO Rob Koester, "Murphy has been able to bargain down its health insurance costs."
Enroll your employees in a medically supervised weight loss program. Anheuser-Busch, which spends more than $2 million a year on 300 employees, started a Wellness Initiative program last year that allows employees and dependents on the company's health insurance plan to enroll in the program for free if -- and note the "if" they keep the weight off for at least 12 months. Otherwise, the employee ponies up the cash for the program.
Boy, if that isn't incentive to stay thin...
Getty Images
- JPMORGAN FIASCO: Why $2 Billion Is Just the Start - CNNMoney
- GET THAT JOB: Top 5 Interview Spending Splurges You Should Make - FOXBusiness
- WOMEN & WALL STREET: Most Powerful Women in the U.S. - InvestorPlace
- How to Thwart the Financial Advisors Mismanaging Your Money - The Motley Fool
- HOLLYWOOD CASH: Glitzy Obama-Clooney Fundraiser Breaks Records - IBTimes
- JOBLESSNESS MADE WORSE: 200,000 About to Lose Unemployment Benefits - CBS MoneyWatch
- LOOKING UP: Consumer Sentiment Rises as Gasoline Prices Fall - 24/7 Wall St.
