It’s almost like being picked on in the schoolyard again. Howard Weyers, owner of Weyco Inc in Okemos, raised some controversy when he forced employees to either quit smoking or quit their job. Now, due to rising insurance costs, he says he’ll crack down on overweight employees.“We have to work on eating habits and getting people to exercise,” he says, according to this Reuters article.
I’m not sure what’s scarier: the fact this sounds like he’s trying to purge his workplace of personal vices or that it actually seems like a thoughtfully considered plan. The article goes on to say Weyers “has brought in an eating disorder therapist to speak to workers, provided eating coaches, created a point system for employees to earn health-related $100 bonuses and plans to offer $45 vouchers for health club memberships.” This new plan might actually turn out being a wonderful thing for these employees.
Then again, Weyers might end up dealing with a lot of stress-related insurance claims as his employees try to deal with the pressure of a workplace that is trying to change the way they live. And who’s to say Weyers won’t eventually start picking on people with bad eyesight or thinning hair or who can’t curl their tongue or have weird earlobes.
This man needs to remember he is someone they work for, he is not their father and these people are not his children. If these employees are doing their jobs and dressing properly there should be no problem. What is he going to do if these employee’s are unable to lose weight? My sister has tried starving herself, to eating right and exercising and she has been to doctors, I know that anyone who is even a little overweight or self concious would go to bigger extremes because they wouldn’t want to be seen as am embarassment. He should be careful he might think he is doing a good thing, but these people are more likely to see it as descrimination.