Reducing Employee BMI: Incentives and Weight Bias in the Workplace

Obese workers cost U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion or more in health care costs and productivity losses each year. In 2010, at least one-third of employers plan to offer either a reward or penalty to encourage employees to reduce their BMI or improve other biometric markers over the course of the year. Such measures, say obesity experts, could be perceived as weight discrimination. Unfortunately, weight bias is prevalent in the workplace even before incentives for BMI reduction are introduced - studies have shown that overweight employees consistently receive lower wages, more negative feedback, and fewer opportunities for professional growth than coworkers who do not carry excess weight. Compounding the problem is the fact that healthy weight loss is a complex issue that requires more than a decision to move more and eat less. And studies show that financial incentives may help an individual lose weight quickly in the short-term, but that the initial loss is not healthy, nor sustainable.

Dr. Rebecca Puhl, director of research at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, has been studying weight bias for ten years and has published studies on the prevalence and origins of weight stigma, interventions to reduce weight bias, and the impact of weight stigma on emotional and physical health. Dr. Puhl serves as chair of the Weight Bias Task Force of The Obesity Society, and is an editor of the book Weight Bias: Nature, Extent, and Remedies (Guilford Press, 2005).

Dr. Puhl joins Dr. Jennifer Lovejoy, Free & Clear's vice president of clinical development and support, to present the latest Clear Insights complimentary webinar. Join Dr. Puhl and Dr. Lovejoy as they discuss the nuances and ramifications of weight bias in the workplace, review well-known examples of employers who are offering incentives tied to BMI, and offer practical strategies that employers can adopt to promote a supportive worksite environment that promotes healthy living.

Register for Thursday, September 9, 11:00 am PDT
Register for Tuesday, September 21, 11:00 am PDT