The Irony of Workplace Wellness
The cycle:
The cycle:
1. Work and the workplace environment causes STRESS.
- Unreasonable expectations, caustic management styles and a recession weary workforce has made the American workplace one of the most stressful environments in world. The Towers Watson’s Global Workforce Study informs us that as much as 80% of workers report that they are experiencing high levels of stress, which has become very expensive.
2. WORKPLACE STRESS is one of the leading causes of WEIGHT GAIN.
- An American Journal of Epidemiology study, believed to be one of the first of its kind, revealed the relationship between weight gain and job-related stress.
3. WEIGHT GAIN is responsible for up to 90% of PREVENTABLE ILLNESSES.
- According to a 2011 Society of Actuaries report companies are wasting spending an extra $270 billion each year on health care costs that are totally preventable with lifestyle changes that include weight loss.
4. Companies are now spending an extra $270 billion each year on PREVENTABLE ILLNESSES.
- $270 billion is about the same as the GDP of Finland and is greater than the GDP of 145 nations.
5. Workers must then work more, causing more stress to pay for the increase in healthcare cost caused by STRESS.
- The Insanity Irony: We have sacrificed our health for higher productivity and greater competitiveness, which comes at the price of greater healthcare costs resulting in less competitiveness because healthcare costs cut into profits.
photo:Davor Ratkovic/shutterstock
mmmm….not sure about this, but it did make me giggle.
