family

Picture this.  Your employee works out at your corporate fitness center before his shift.  He takes in a steam and a shower, organizing his thoughts and mentally preparing for the business day.  Afterwards, he stops at the company café and chooses a light breakfast recommended by the Wellness Coordinators and RD’s employed by your corporate wellness provider.  He also purchases a sandwich that he will take to a Lunch and Learn presentation on relaxation and stress management techniques. 

At the end of the day, the employee commutes on his bicycle to his home.  His children were dropped off by the school bus several hours ago and they have been doing homework and playing video games on the couch while they wait for their father to get home from work.  They’ve also been enjoying sugary sodas and cheesy snacks full of saturated fat.  This is this family’s typical daily routine.  

How does this ironic picture affect your company?  As time goes by, these children will quickly gain weight; their limited physical fitness program at school will not be enough to counter the hours on the couch.   Not only are these children your potential future employees, the life threatening diseases they could develop from their lifestyle can greatly elevate the cost of insuring your employees.

According to the CDC, “Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.”

Programs that don’t include your employees’ families are a waste of your time and money.  Employees should be encouraged and rewarded by bringing their education and tools home, or else you can consider the cost of implementing your Corporate Wellness Program to be a very expensive band-aid.

When you create a culture of wellness inside your organization, your employees will bring that information home. When that home has children, the importance of this transfer of knowledge increases exponentially as a healthy, fit child is more likely to realize a happier, more fulfilling life. 

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, a child’s weight has been directly shown to affect their financial future. The study states that “adults who have been overweight since high school are more likely to be unemployed or on welfare than those who gained weight gradually during their 20’s and 30’s.”  The connection between diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease has been very well documented, but this study draws a very clear line from childhood obesity to a failed economic adult life. This association also illustrates the importance of addressing the wellness of children as soon as possible, and we believe that parents are in the best position to achieve this goal.

Giving employees the culture, information and tools necessary to bring a healthier lifestyle home to their families will help the long-term outlook for their personal health, the health of the company and the future financial security of their children.

Obesity is a nationwide epidemic.  Type II Diabetes is rampant among our children.  According to the CDC, 1 in 3 children born in the United States will become diabetic.  A smart company knows it’s not enough to focus on the individual employee; we need to empower them to take what they learn about wellness at work home to their families.  There are some meaningful changes that will make tremendous improvements in the culture of health in your employees’ h