Obesity, Diabetes Interfere With Work Productivity

Pay them less. Fire them more.

"Obese workers with type 2 diabetes report less productivity on the job than their normal-weight co-workers, according to a new study of 7,338 working adults.

'We obtained information directly from individuals on how effective they were at the workplace to provide their perspective of the impact of diabetes and obesity on patients' lives,' said study co-author Kathleen Fox, Ph.D.

In a survey of adults with or at risk for diabetes, participants answered questions about missed work time, reduced on-the-job effectiveness and impairment in daily activities.

The analysis, which appears in the May/June issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, found that being obese and having diabetes predicted on-the-job problems with productivity.

Obese people with type 2 diabetes experienced the most work impairment, losing 11 percent to 15 percent of work time about 5.9 hours per week because of health problems that affected productivity on the job, said Fox, president of Strategic Healthcare Solutions, LLC...

'From an employer's perspective, this study provides evidence that workplace wellness programs that include weight loss and weight management would be beneficial for obese employees with or at risk for diabetes,' Fox said.

'Employers who spend money in a lifestyle intervention will find their investment returned to them in the form of increased productivity and reduced absenteeism,' Wolf agreed."

No way.

If they follow the conventional stupidity, they will lose all their investment.

And be worse off compared to having done nothing.