Could Workplace Wellness Be Taken Too Far?

Last week CNN / FitNation published an interesting article, titled "Wellness: A healthy investment for company". This is an in-depth look at the role of wellness programs at Lincoln Industries, described as "a typical blue-collar plant" in Nebraska.

Workplace wellness by itself is nothing new. Yet the extent of Lincoln Industries implementation raises interesting questions.

While most employer wellness programs are voluntary and focus on encouragement rather than enforcement, Lincoln Industries makes participation a requirement for all employees:

Most unusual of all: The company requires all employees to undergo quarterly checkups measuring weight, body fat and flexibility. It also conducts annual blood, vision and hearing tests.

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The company ranks workers on their fitness, from platinum, gold and silver down to "non-medal." To achieve platinum, they must reach fitness goals and be nonsmokers -- and the company offers smoking cessation classes.

The results described in the article are impressive, both in terms of health improvement and cost savings. The rewards for healthy behavior are significant. However the idea of an employer "requiring" employees to take care of their health might raise eyebrows:

Tonya Vyhlidal, Wellness and Life Enhancement director, says Lincoln Industries doesn't pressure workers who don't want to participate. But sooner or later, she says, the company's "culture" attracts most employees to live healthier lives.

"Culture" is a way of saying "that is what we expect from you". Even if there are no visible penalities for non-participation, is it fair for employer to put pressure on the employees to "comply or not fit the culture"? Even if we forget about the actual wellness activities, how about employers having access to employee health test results?

CNN.com ran a poll that gave the unequivocal answer:

Without a doubt employees are very concerned about sharing too much of their health history with employers. While they might be reticent to object when pressured directly the anonymous poll makes it clear they do not trust their companies as far as their health is concerned.

What does this mean? Wellness programs that ignore these prevalent attitudes are likely to face passive (or even active) resistance or potentially cause employee attrition. Companies should encourage healthy life but steer clear of being nosy or punitive.

As far as healthcare reform ideas are concerned this shines the light on yet another critical point to consider.