If the desire to be healthy starts from the top down, it will infiltrate all layers of management and workforce. Once it becomes the expected norm, many more employees will assume the same attitude, if for no other reason than that they want to fit in.

It can be quite disconcerting to be the only person sitting at a desk eating fried chicken when everyone else is exercising and eating well, looking and feeling better than they ever have and reaping the rewards of whatever incentive programs their employer may have instituted. An employer should not be afraid to take advantage of peer pressure in encouraging their employees to participate. Naturally, those with a disability or a medical contraindication to exercise must be treated accordingly.

Legislative Trends

Obesity and other health concerns have reached such epidemic proportions that the federal government is looking at stepping in to provide motivation, guidelines, or incentives that will encourage employers to make wellness a higher priority in the workplace. There are two bills pending in Congress that have not yet passed but may well become law in the near future.

The Wellness and Prevention Act of 2007 (HR 853) provides for a wellness program tax credit for employers that develop and implement a program that provides certain services. The Act even extends a tax credit to participating employees. The Healthy Workforce Act of 2007 (S 1753) provides a tax credit for an employer offering a "qualified wellness program".

In September of 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring the first week of April to be "National Workplace Wellness Week" in recognition of the importance of health promotion in the workplace. Also in September of 2008, the Senate passed a resolution recognizing the importance of workplace wellness as a strategy to help maximize employees' health and well being.

For many years, employers have felt it is the employees' responsibility to care for their own wellness, to find the time to exercise, eat right, and relieve stress. However, many people, including some of the most unwell employees spend more time working than they do in any other single activity, so it's easy to see why the government would feel that it is becoming the employers' responsibility to ensure that there are at least tools offered to the employee to facilitate better health.

About the Author

Greg Justice, MA, CPT, is the founder of AYC Health & Fitness (www.aycfit.com) and the Corporate Boot Camp System (www.corporatebootcampsystem.com). He has been actively involved in the fitness industry for more than a quarter of a century as a club manager, owner, personal trainer and corporate wellness supervisor. Contact Greg for more information at 913-642-4437.

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