Every few months or so, Ill catch a headline along the lines of: Why Your Job Is Making You Fat. And theres no doubt that job-related weight gain is worthy of our collective attention. Surveys have found that almost half of employees say theyve put on weight at their present job, and often it isnt a case of a few innocent pounds. Twenty-five percent of workers report gaining more than 10 pounds in their current role, and 10 percent report gaining more than 20. Yet analyzing the problem and the solutions usually emphasizes personal choices like eating habits and movement, but ignores another key factor: burnout thats tied specifically to our work.
The message were all getting: If employees could just exercise more and swap their fast-food lunches for salads, those pesky pounds would stay away. While theres no denying the personal responsibility that workers have for their own well-being, were not paying enough attention to the conditions that make it harder for people to make better choices. The research clearly shows that employees who experience chronic stress from burnout often adopt unhealthy behaviors that can lead to weight gain. And, as noted in the Harvard Business Review, unchecked organizational norms insidiously create the conditions for burnout.
No one is arguing that its reasonable for employees to expect to sail through every day free of pressures and hard work (or that addressing workplace stress is going to magically erase someones weight issues). But burnout is a different beast entirely, a condition resulting from our always-on culture that includes feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion and reduced professional efficacy, according to the World Health Organizations definition. Companies are starting to recognize the implications of burnout on their workforce, but where weight is concerned, they may still be focusing on the wrong solutions.
The fact is, businesses and employees alike stand to benefit from a shift in the conversation about weight and work. Obese employees cost U.S. private companies an estimated $45 billion annually in medical bills and work loss, according to a report by The Conference Board. And research suggests that poor body image (which can sometimes result from weight gain) is associated with greater absenteeism, holding oneself back from taking the lead at work, and feeling distracted at work, says Phillippa Diedrichs, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England.
However well-intended, standing desks, vending machines filled with fruit instead of candy, and a fitness club allowance can only go so far unless we also address the influence that burnout has on the bathroom scale. Job demands and burnout are rarely, if ever, incorporated into wellness or weight-loss interventions, Heather Padilla, Ph.D., lead author of a study linking burnout and weight gain and an assistant professor at the University of Georgias College of Public Health, has said. But thats a problem, because if your energy is used up by working all the time, you often dont have enough left to make healthy decisions about food and exercise.
Follow us here and subscribe here for all the latest news on how you can keep Thriving.
Stay up to date or catch-up on all our podcasts with Arianna Huffington here.
See the original post:
Were Having the Wrong Conversation About Workplace Weight Gain - Thrive Global
