How obesity can affect you at your workplace
It’s the bane of the modern lifestyle – we are moving at such a fast pace that we are forced to grab the frozen dinners, the cheesy pizzas and greasy burgers. Add to that, the lack of exercise. Most of us in metros spend hours commuting to and from work, sitting in our cars.
One out of five Indians suffers from obesity, and India is amongst the third ranked obese country in the world after USA and China. The working class and those living in urban India are more prone to obesity and obesity related diseases.
To a great extent, lifestyle is linked to work culture. The young generation tends to spend more time at their workplace than at home. The working sector is at a higher risk of being pushed towards the obesity epidemic in India.
Stressful work, sedentary lifestyle, desk jobs, inadequate/irregular sleep, fatty diet, desktop diet, lack of exercise and consumption of alcohol are some of those lifestyle and behavioural changes that are associated with obesity.
It is a vicious cycle. Hectic work schedules lead to a fast-paced lifestyle that in turn may lead to obesity. Conversely, obesity could affect the workplace in many ways.
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| To a great extent, lifestyle is linked to work culture. |
It can lead to reduced productivity at the workplace. If someone is obese, their health is likely to be worse, and they could suffer from issues such as back problems and hypertension.
A study conducted by a leading American university examined how people of different weights accomplished work tasks. Researchers found that obese people had about 40 per cent shorter endurance times. This means that even if they are in office, their health conditions can affect their ability to do their work properly.
Of course, obesity can affect attendance, since obese people often have to take more time off work – both short and long-term – because of associated health conditions. All of this cause significant workplace costs for businesses.
What this means is that there is a significant need for health promotion at the workplace.
Encouraging exercise and healthy eating among staff members can’t be done in isolation. Instead, it should form part of a broader initiative to promote staff health and well-being.
Employers can do this in many ways – small things like introducing walking meetings or encouraging staff to get outside on their lunch break. Employers could also consider introducing discounted gym membership or nominating an employee as the "office wellness champion" to encourage their colleagues to keep fit.
The solution lies in reshaping the current wellness initiatives.
Effective obesity management at the workplace can be done through a multipronged approach with guidance from nutrition, fitness and medical experts.