Blog #5
Obesity in America is an ever-increasing problem that is creating repercussions in the work place. While many employers may think that they can discriminate against employees through health screenings, this practice is wrong and only adds to the obesity epidemic in America. Obesity is associated with numerous health risks such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and premature death and employers can be proactive instead of discriminative in this matter.
Employers discriminate due to health reasons and lifestyle choices because health care costs for employers are increasing by at least 15% per year, almost three times as fast as inflation. In an employer’s mind, one effective way to control a rise in costs in their own company due to health insurance is to be more selective in the hiring process. While this may seem to save money, it seems counterintuitive to me. If employers are hiring based on lifestyle choices rather than competency, they are not going to get employees that are the most highly qualified for the job/task at hand. This could mean that their company will not be as successful as it could be if they hired the most qualified individuals, health problems or not.
To me, discrimination against hiring people due to lifestyle issues is an indirect violation of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights limits the government’s involvement in the lives of Americans and I think legislation should be passed to extend the concept of the government involvement in people’s personal lives and choices to include hiring employers of all businesses, public and private.
One way to find a happy medium in this practice is to not allow discrimination due to health screenings in the hiring process, but to make unhealthy employees pay a premium over their “normal” rate and give healthy employees a discount. This strategy has been adopted by some companies. While this strategy is discrimination as well, at least it is discrimination that will help Americans stop spiraling down the unhealthy, ill stricken path we are on.
By allowing people to make their own lifestyle choices and still be hired, you are not violating any civil liberties or Bill of Rights issues. But, rewarding those who make good choices may help improve the health and productivity of all employees because they will have incentive to lose weight/make healthier life choices. If employees actually follow this plan and make good lifestyle choices, companies will still hire the most qualified and create incentive for the most qualified to become healthier individuals. Companies have the power to be proactive in this problem. They can save money on health insurance and motivate employees to make better lifestyle choices through a reward system, creating a win-win situation.
According to a 1990 poll by the National Consumers League, 81% of Americans believe that an employer has no right to refuse to hire an overweight person. I totally agree with this statement. There isn’t one person in this world that doesn’t have some type of health issue due to a personal lifestyle choice (which we are entitled to as Americans). While we should not discriminate in the hiring process, I don’t think that it would hurt to provide incentive for employees who do make good lifestyle choices and are healthier. Maybe making those who have higher medical bills due to poor lifestyle choices pay for those bad decisions by making them pay more for their health care will provide them motivation to change.
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Obesity is one of the common disease in north America and other western countries,i suggest that obesity should be addressed effectively from our house holds,schools,churches e.t.c.by adopting on new food ingredients that are healthy and does not carry fat;there is also a new program introduced in recent months where by public schools are changing diets in order to avoid obesity among students,this is the most and best way to prevent diseases such as as obesity and heavy weight
ReplyDeleteWhilst I do agree with Amanda about employees not being able to "directly" discriminate against hiring obese employees, I don't agree that companies should not be able to use obesity at all in order to either directly terminate or not hire an employee. I do agree with her that employees may pass over an otherwise good employee because of their weight. To most of us, I think we would agree that in (at least some of the jobs one can hold) obesity could be potentially degrading to ones job performance.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that passing legislation (or allowing the government to involve themselves in private business practices) will necessarily fix the problem. I think Amanda has a great idea of just having the employees at higher risk (such as those with obesity) pay higher premiums. This seems like a reasonable option to me.
I did my research paper on this issue how obesity can affect peoples ability to become healthier person. There are many health risk factors that are associated with obesity. But I do not agree with employees whom discriminate based on someone’s body size. Even though the health care coast is more in obese people but I believe that employers can make a difference in their employees. For example, when the person gets reward for something he or she has done at work place; employer could give them fitness center gift certificate if not can encourage their worker to participate in fitness center by giving them some discount. If possible Employee Corporation could build fitness center in their work place so their employers can go to GYM after work hours and do some exercise. Fitting in just 30 minutes a day of exercise can lower the risk of overweight and obesity .30 minutes is not a whole lot making it possible for employer’s is one way of action to develop safe and healthier life style and reduce health complication and coast that is related to obesity and at the same time give equal opportunity for everybody.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Amanda! Employers should not discriminate due to physical appearance and health issues. Employer’s hirer employees because of their skills and what they can bring to the table, not their physicality. However, the two can be interrelated. I like the suggestion that employers should provide an incentive to employees to make better health choices. I am a business major and I totally intend on structuring a business in this manner. Whether it is a reduction in health care cost to the employee for regular attendance to a gym, or providing on location gym for employees. I don’t think this is the “cure-all” but defiantly a start.
ReplyDeleteEmployers should not discriminate against hiring an obsese person, and I agree that they should offer rewards or incentives for healthy lifestyles such as weighing within a certain % of your ideal body weight, or stopping smoking or exercising. My company offers points throughout the year for attending lunchtime health lectures or completing get active challenges, etc., and then if you reach a certain number of points by open enrollment, that translates in to an extra $150 you can use toward your benefits. Unhealthy staff either through over weight, heart disease, diabetes, will cost employers in the long run so it's in their best interest to help their employees get healthy.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to see the discrimination on the obese. Just this week, I was surprise to hear from the television that, doctors even discriminate in the surgery of an obese person. This is due to the fact that, insurance companies have to pay more for the obese.
ReplyDeleteSo. infact, Obesity does not only affect the life of the person involved, but also, it affects every way the person is treated. It will be good to increase the education on the effects of obesity and how to control it.
I think that obeisety in america has become a huge problem because we are so busy, that all we do is eat bad food, and we are too bust to exercise. If we could have children be required to have physical activities every other day such as join a baseball team, or a swim team that would encourage team work and also the kids can get some physical activities.
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