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Diet and Productivity Jul 1, 2008 By Jennifer Benz
Workers with healthy diets are more productive
This article from Employee Benefit News is pure common sense, but these statistics can be really helpful to justify a wellness program budget.
Key findings from ComPsych Corp. in its 2008 Health & Productivity Index:
- Only 5% of employees with unbalanced diets had high levels of energy, while 50% of workers with balanced diets had high energy
- Among employees with healthy diets, 73% reported having high levels of productivity, compared to 24% of employees with poor dietary habits.
- Fifty-one percent of ideal-weight employees had high morale, while less than half that amount – 25% – of very overweight employees had high morale levels.
- Fifty-seven percent of healthy-weight employees reported high levels of productivity, while only 27% of very overweight employees reported being highly productive.
View the whole article.
Comments
These statistics make sense, but I worry how they might be read by hiring managers. Could this data lead managers to be less likely to hire overweight candidates? Perhaps they would do all their interviews over lunch to see if the candidate ordered a balance meal? Sorry - you looked good on paper but ordered fries at lunch so we can make you an offer.
For some poeple being overweight is a medical issue and for others it is a personal lifestyle issue.
I believe that I read that having sex at least three times per week greatly reduces stress. We all know that stress can lead to burnout and poor performance at the office - as well as a decrease in effective interpersonal skills. Should we begin promoting "casual encounters" on corporate intranets to help employees manage their stress?
—Aaron Hurst, about 1 year ago