Obesity in the Workplace
Read the required readings on the background page and answer the case assignment question. Some of the optional material may also be of help as you develop your arguments.
Obesity in the Workplace
Obesity is identified as a risk factor in many illnesses. Some claim that Work, Obesity and Health are intertwined. About 25% of Americans are classified as “obese” and indeed the category of “overweight” adds another 35% to that number. Add those two numbers up, and you find that about 60% of Americans are “overweight” As more and more employers provide wellness programs in the workplace, the issues of personal choices outside the workplace, employer insurance costs, personal insurance costs, and voluntary vs. mandatory participation in wellness programs arise. Of course, an underlying assumption is that it is not okay to be overweight, and everyone needs to do something about it- especially with the unrelenting rise in health care costs. In recent trends, some companies, particularly in health care, won’t hire someone who smokes tobacco, a legal product. Should companies be allowed to take the same approach to the overweight? Should companies make participation in a wellness program for the overweight (obese) mandatory?
Case Assignment Question: Do you think an overweight employee who chooses not to participate in a wellness program should be penalized?
Case Expectations:
I know that issues surrounding being overweight go beyond the workplace, but please focus on the case assignment question and write a three to five page paper, not including title page and reference page, to answer the question. Dig on the web and in proquest to find out the workplace, obesity, health, wellness programs and other related topics that could inform your answer. Of course, apply the principles of normative ethics in your answer (utility and deontology).
General Expectations
Your paper should be double-spaced with 12-point font.
Your paper should have a separate cover page and a separate reference page.
Use APA-style.
Be sure to proofread your paper.
Upload your paper to Coursenet by the end of the module
Watch this video on Workplace Safety:
http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=0-9dyRmegZU&feature=youtu.be
Watch this video related to Obesity in the Workplace:
http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=4Ow1uiWcn4c
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Required Readings Fed up with fat; With rising healthcare costs linked to obesity, slimmer people are saying enough already. . Jameson, Marni, Los Angeles Times, [Los Angeles, Calif] 01 Feb 2010: E.1. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from Proquest. Should your choices cost you? use prevention and support, not penalties. (2012, Jun 03). Denver Post, pp. 6-D.6. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from Proquest. Optional Readings The following is a list of sites relating to workplace safety. Refer to them as you deem necessary. The case assignment for this module is a complicated one. I want you to search the web for information related to the case. While the background information for this module is entirely optional, you will find it a useful place to start in your case research. Please refer to the OSHA website Click here: OSHA. Retrieved November 27, 2012 from http://www(dot)osha(dot)gov/ Check out their site at NIOSH. Retrieved November 27, 2012 from http://www(dot)cdc(dot)gov/niosh/homepage.html see especially an update on obesity Some resources are here (2007). Retrieved November 27, 2012 from http://www(dot)safetyonline(dot)com/content/homepage/default.asp?VNETCOOKIE=NO |
OVERWEIGHT EMPLOYEE
Name:
Institution:
Obesity is not only an aesthetic problem, but also a health hazard. There are numerous serious medical conditions with which obesity is associated such as cardiac diseases, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, respiratory problems among others. In the past 3 decades, there has been a high increase in the number obese people especially in the working class. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 1in 3 adults in American is now believed to be obese, this is roughly described as a person whose body mass index (BMI) is equal to 30 or higher than 30 which gives the number of the overweight persons to be approximately 40% or higher. This is a factor that catalysts the occurrence of diseases such as diabetes, cardiac diseases, stroke and some types of cancer.
A number of factors play a major part in obesity – this is having an excess of body fat that is causes an imbalance of energy in the body. This imbalance is as a result of feeding the body with foods which contain more calories than what the body burns through physical activities. Human behavior, social economic class, surroundings and genes may also be a factor in obesity which makes it hard to be addressed as a health issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted that the escalation of obesity numbers has repercussions in the health of Americans which causes a strain in the medical resources of the country. Their cost is estimated to be almost $147 billion annually, directly or indirectly.
Most people in America expend a great deal of their lives in their places of work which makes it a very suitable place for establishing such health behavior(s) and programs that can promote good health. Maintaining a healthy life is not easy considering how much time one spends working but health programs would be beneficial to employers and employees alike.
Choice of participation in a wellness program
Most employers are aware that healthy employees are more productive; they take fewer sick leaves, and are usually more contented – they are also cheaper to insure. Because of this, many companies may result to offering wellness programs to their employees to boost their productivity. While these promotions towards healthy employees may seem benign, there are federal laws that could affect their legality. Federals laws like Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), th...