Absenteeism and Presenteeism
Absenteeism
Healthy employees are productive employees. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), healthier employees are less likely to call in sick or use vacation time due to illness. Workplace studies, for example, have found a 56% increase in missed work days by obese employees.
Productivity losses due to obesity-related absenteeism range from $ 3.38 to $ 6.38 billion a year, according to a Brookings Institution report on the economic impact of obesity in the United States.
Presenteeism
The highest cost to employers from unhealthy workers comes from lost productivity, not when they are out sick but while they’re on the job – a condition known as “presenteeism.” Employees are at work but their performance is compromised by poor health, both physical and mental.
A Duke University study concluded that presenteeism plagues all workers, but the costs are highest for the most obese. About 37% of the obese population has a BMI over 35. This group of workers is responsible for 61% of the costs resulting from excess weight…billions of dollars a year.
The iDiet helps get these employees out of the high risk zone and helps keep others from moving into it.
The Duke study concluded that the health-related cost of obesity is enough to pay the salaries of 1.8 million new workers.
The Sugar Blues
American workers – normal weight, overweight and obese – commonly suffer from a condition known as the “sugar blues.” Sugar and white carbohydrates are addictive. Just a little can create a desire for more.
A typical American diet is high in refined sugar, or sucrose, that wreaks havoc on blood sugar levels. High-sugar cereals, bagels, donuts, sugary coffee or tea – all drive blood sugar to unhealthy levels.
This morning sugar rush can cause excitability, nervous tension and hyperactivity. Dropping blood sugar levels follow the sugar “high”. Workers are left feeling tired or even depressed. Having another cup of coffee with a sweet treat will start the process all over again.
The iDiet helps to cure the sugar blues by normalizing blood sugar levels. Participants in the iDiet learn to love healthy foods. Many report losing their taste for the sweet snacks they used to crave.
Lois, a midlife physician, says she is far more productive at work thanks to the iDiet:
“Everybody says ‘Aw don’t you look good’. That’s always nice. But I can’t believe how much it changed my physical situation. I was having terrible orthopedic difficulty. Spinal stinosis, difficulty walking, being straight. People had always said, and I knew this for a fact, ‘If you lose weight you’ll feel better’. I never realized how much it would make a difference.”
The Affordability Gap
Health care costs have been rising for employers and employees. A Towers Watson Health Care Survey found that in 2011, employers paid 36% more for health care while employees contributed about 45% more than they did five years ago.
As health care costs continue to outpace wage increases, employers are looking for a proven way to promote employee health and wellbeing while reducing costs.
The iDiet Program delivers impressive weight loss results which typically will dramatically improve health and vitality. Typical initial weight loss of 25 pounds is up to two and a half times greater than the leading weight management program…high enough to have a real impact on health status, energy levels and wellbeing.
No other weight loss program offers these impressive results and or can deliver such a unique return on investment.
Explore iDiet for the Workplace
Call today and ask us how the iDiet will easily fit into your worksite wellness programs.
Call the iDiet team at 866-604-7662.
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