Scene: a factory, with workers toiling away. A whistle sounds All the workers stop what they are doing and proceed en masse to a large,
open area. There they form into rows, facing an exercise leader. The leader starts calling out numbers ("1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4") and the workers all perform exercises in unison. After a while the whistle sounds again, and the workers all return to their jobs, and resume toiling.
While this image is likely more reminiscent of a factory in the 1930s than in modern times, the picture it conveys, of a workplace management intent on increasing the health of its workers, through worktime exercise sessions, is still relevant. After all, a healthy workforce is a productive workforce, as management would say.
Normally presented in the form of workplace health and safety training, these sessions are thought important enough to have their own government oversight. For example, the CDC site has a page called "Workplace Health Promotion."
https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/index.html(Interestingly, the
opening page of this site has a picture of a group of people doing some sort of group exercise. I guess some things never change! <grin>).
The above site tells us
"The use of effective workplace programs and policies can reduce health risks and improve the quality of life for American workers."and goes into detail as to how the site will help us to
" ... learn more about workplace health promotion and how to design, implement, and evaluate effective workplace health programs."So do such programs work? Well, as one might expect, opinions differ on that. Searching for pro and then for con articles on this topic will retrieve a good number of each. So I guess the jury is still out on that.
But one surprising fact I observed while researching this topic was just
how many businesses there are out there that have websites offering to set up and run health and safety training programs for a company's workers, for a fee of course.
They offer to do it all, even sending in their own trainers and supplying their own equipment. Of course they claim that their programs are helpful, contribute to increased employee health, and thus reduce company health costs.
But are such programs really worth it to the business? Again, it depends on who you ask.
And then there's the whole other matter of management trying to
force worker compliance with company health standards. Such as "stop smoking or you're fired!," or "Lose weight or you're gone!" An unhealthy worker will cost them more money than a healthy one, they say, so they pressure their employees to "shape up" and thus cost the company less.
But is that legal? Can an employer do that? Well, according to what I have read while researching this topic, it depends. From a legal website:
"Some employers have adopted policies that encourage (or coerce) employees to quit smoking (for example) in order to save money. Studies show that smokers are sick more often, which means they use more sick days and are more likely to utilize their health insurance ... But is it legal? It depends on your state's law. Federal law doesn't address whether employers can fire employees for smoking. In a number of states, however, it is illegal to fire an employee simply for being a smoker."Source:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/can-employer-threaten-fire-us-quit-smoking.htmlBut due to its complexity, that's a topic probably best left for another thread: how much can an employer force us to take care of our own health.
But getting back to the thread topic, on the matter of health care training, were any of you ever involved in such a workplace health and safety training program? If so, what did you think of it?
I'll comment on what my own previous employer did. While I was working at the University of Florida, the school had a kind of low-key approach to the subject. Safety training was mandatory, but UF offered us voluntary opportunities on the health care side. Such as discounts to go to local gyms and health and fitness places in town, encouragement to make use of the university's health facilities, and health and sports clubs. In fact, I remember the administration even encouraging for a while the formation of department athletic teams (I remember the Library had a tennis team, playing against other departments, and no, I didn't join), but nothing was ever made compulsory on the health front, which I thought was a reasonable approach.
So were any of you ever in a work environment where you had such safety and/or health training sessions? What did you think of them? Were they helpful?