How can you get your employees started in a wellness program?

Thirty-eight percent of new hires in 2006 were medically defined to be obese, up from 29 percent in 2000. This represents a 36 percent increase in the obese population. If this trend continues, one-in-two new hire applicants in the U.S. will be obese by 2010. Add to these changes an approximate 80 percent increase in healthcare costs and a company with just 500 employees will spend nearly one million dollars more in added healthcare costs in 2010 compared with 2005. Imagine if your company employs 50,000 people: the added costs would approach $200 million in 2010. It is clear that overweight employees cost employers...alot!

Obesity has become an epidemic in the U.S. and workplace wellness programs can do something about it. Dr. Thomas B. Gilliam, Ph.D., creator of Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy, a corporate wellness program, offers the following suggestions on how you can help your employees get started in a workplace wellness program:

• Be inclusive. Don't just single out obese people. Choose a wellness program that emphasizes the benefits of lifestyle change-whose principles center on healthful, nutritious foods and regular exercise-and everyone will benefit. Also, remember that fitness and thinness are not always synonymous. There are plenty of thin people with extremely unhealthy diets.

• Be honest with people about the costs of excess weight and the illnesses that come with it. Tell employees honestly and directly that it's difficult to provide higher wages and better benefits when so much of the company's money is going to support illnesses that could be prevented. If you're implementing a company-wide weight loss initiative, you can make these points in a letter or a kick-off meeting. But don't discount the power of personal, face-to-face conversations. People will respect you more if you look them in the eye and tell the truth-and if you express concern for their well-being, they may even be touched and appreciative.

• Be prepared for a long-term commitment. Achieving a healthy body weight takes time. Obesity and related diseases will be with us for many years to come. Obesity did not occur overnight. It has been happening for the last 30 years, and now it will take considerable time to resolve. Therefore it's important that you stand by your employees every step of the way. Never let them lose sight of their goals and keep them focused on the ultimate goal of a company filled with healthy employees.

• Offer incentives. What those incentives are can vary wildly. Some companies may give small cash bonuses or gift certificates for reaching pre-determined milestones. Others may offer discounted insurance premiums Still others make it a team thing and set up friendly competitions between departments: the team that collectively loses the most weight gets rewarded with, say, a frozen yogurt party or an afternoon off.

• Teach employees the basics of managing body weight. This is important not only for those who need to lose weight, but for those who currently have a normal weight.

• Get your employees excited about good nutrition. Create a recipe bulletin board-the old-fashioned cork-board kind or virtual online kind-so that employees can share the details of their delicious finds and their own culinary creations. Host a potluck lunch to which everyone brings his or her favorite healthful dish. Don't forget to remove all junk food from the premises. It's hard to stay on track when vending machines packed with grease and sugar and trans fatty acids beckon with their sinister glow.

• Foster and encourage exercise groups. Human beings are social creatures. They are much more likely to sustain an exercise program if they have company.

• Link weight loss to larger family issues. No one wants to be obese. But most people want their children to be obese even less. Offering to help employees set a healthy example for their children and can be a powerful motivator.