The largest-ever UK study of obesity, compiled by the Foresight Programme, concluded in October this year that excess weight is now the norm in our society and one of the causes is our sedentary lifestyle. Only recently it was reported in The Times that a staggering £4.4m in incapacity benefits have been paid to almost 2,000 people in the UK who are apparently too fat to work. Obesity as a national disease is not going to go away and pervades all aspects of society.
Businesses must learn to share the responsibility for this problem. The onus is on all employers to take a proactive approach right away to ensure their workforce is fit and healthy. There is not yet any legal obligation to reduce obesity among employees in the workplace, but it is in everyone’s best interests to have a healthy, and therefore happy, workforce. If an employer can improve the health and wellbeing of its staff, it is a ‘win-win’ situation. A fit and healthy workforce will be a more productive one; if staff are happy and motivated, absence levels and associated costs will fall.
