In its most recent national data, a national health survey estimated that 2.4 million Australian adults were obese. Teresa Russell and Craig Donaldson look at the issue in the workplace and how organisations can take great strides – literally – to improve the physical health of their employees
In its most recent national data, a national health survey estimated that 2.4 million Australian adults were obese. Teresa Russell and Craig Donaldson look at the issue in the workplace and how organisations can take great strides – literally – to improve the physical health of their employees
Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater. To be classed as obese, an individual must have a BMI of 30 or more. Around 16 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women are obese, and a further 4.9 million Australian adults are overweight.
During the 1990s, obesity rose alarmingly in Australia, by 71 per cent for men and 80 per cent for women. One million Australian children and adolescents are also overweight or obese. This problem is not going to go away by itself. A few organisations have started to address this issue with their staff by introducing workplace programs, done in company time and paid for by company money.
Sydney Water
This State Government-owned public utility employs around 3,500 people across Sydney, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains, including a Sydney CBD head office with 1,500 employees.
According to Morris Nakhla, projects manager for health and safety, there were a few motivators for introducing an employee health and wellness program in Sydney Water. In 2004, three staff members had heart attacks at work, with one dying as a result. This had a negative effect on the people who were there at the time. Additionally, there were indications in feedback from staff that morale was low across the organisation, and improvements were also needed in the amount of sick leave taken.
In early 2004, Sydney Water went to tender to find a partner to run a company-wide health and wellness program that would assist in addressing these issues. It appointed Good Health Solutions for a three-year term.
The first thing they introduced was a 10 week ‘Fit to Work’ circuit class, run at head office but available to all employees. Nakhla says he got such a positive response to the class that it has been going for more than a year now. “I have kept a large file full of the positive comments I have received which thank Sydney Water for providing such a fantastic thing for its staff,” he says.
Other programs introduced since then include: two Pilates classes at two sites per week; sponsorship of a volleyball and running club; annual health assessments for all staff (first introduced in December 2003); seminars on nutrition; and a company-wide rollout of a 10,000 steps walking challenge.
“The walking challenge program provides staff with a free, high quality pedometer with the Sydney Water logo on it. The staff are encouraged to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day to compete for first place,” Nakhla explains. At the introduction of the program, a dietician talks to the staff about good nutrition. There are no prizes for first place – just the kudos for winning, as well as the fitness that everyone achieves by competing.
In response to the staff heart attacks, Sydney Water has run several Healthy Heart talks by Professor Ron Penny, an eminent physician and Good Health Solutions’ medical director. The organisation has set a goal to reduce weight, smoking and high cholesterol among its staff, as measured in the annual health assessments.
A special weight management program was designed for a specific group of Sydney Water’s sedentary office workers, after their managers identified a need. This four-week program included seminars by a dietician and individual follow-up if desired.
Nakhla says that good communication about the health and wellness program has been vital to its success. Every three months, a new timetable is published on their intranet, with email reminders sent across the organisation before any event.
“Sydney Water contributes by giving staff time off to participate in classes, as well as paying for the services. If people adopt healthy eating and exercise habits, the long term, measurable benefits to the organisation should be less sick leave, higher morale and lower turnover,” he concludes.
Merrylands RSL
RSL Clubs aren’t exactly known for health resort fare; however, a mindful attitude towards more wholesome selections can assist both visitors and club employees in making healthier choices. This was the case with Merrylands RSL, where the club’s senior management team recently completed a 12-month health and wellness program.
Being a licensed club, it was a matter of convenience for managers when it came to lunch, according to Merrylands RSL human resources manager Sue McGilvray. “It was very easy for them just to go downstairs each lunchtime and eat a heavy two course meal every day, and we weren’t making healthy selections from what was available to us,” she says. “We also seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time just sitting around in meetings and discussing things and working long hours, so we weren’t getting a lot of exercise in our lifestyles.”
McGilvray and the senior management team recognised this and resolved to do something about it. McGilvray contacted Reva Health and organised a personal trainer to come out and meet with the club’s six senior managers. Following the meeting, the senior management team unanimously decided that they were prepared to commit to the program over the ensuing 12 months.
The trainer worked individually with each of the senior managers in devising a dietary program. “We had a restaurant downstairs and it was fairly simple for us to talk about alternate changes that we could be making. It was just too convenient for us not to be healthy and too convenient for us not to make good dietary selections,” McGilvray says. “Instead of having a lasagne or roast meal of the day, we’d have perhaps a smaller portion with a salad. Or we’d choose fruit instead of the desert that was on offer.”
Each manager also received an exercise program and underwent a pre-fitness test to assist in setting goals. “It was a little bit harder as it got into the exercise thing. But it helped that we were a small team and fairly competitive,” she says.
Following the initial consultations, progress was assessed on a weekly basis whereby weight, body mass and other measurements were measured. Assessments were then stretched out to regular six weekly tests for each of the managers.
Over the 12 months of the program, McGilvray says there were some impressive results. There were substantial improvements for all senior managers in terms of general fitness. All managers had improved their results on a 12 minute run, while two managers lost about 15 kg. “When we started off we were extremely motivated and saw the results that each of us were getting, so we kept each other going. It certainly brought the team together – some of us were going off and playing tennis together as a group,” she says.
However, McGilvray acknowledges that such programs come with their own challenges, with one of the main ones being sustainability. “It’s definitely a challenge. We got to the end of the 12 months and were no longer working with the trainer. If I did it again I would have that trainer come back in and keep working with us every six or eight weeks. It’s got to be over a longer period of time.”
Kick starting weight loss with the company
Amanda White, 29, is employed by Sydney Water as an environmental scientist. She lives in the Blue Mountains and commutes three hours by train to and from her Sydney CBD office, five days a week. She needs to lose about 20 kg.
One year ago, Amanda received an internal email that was sent to all staff, announcing the introduction of a lunchtime circuit class called ‘Fit to Work’. White says that Sydney Water’s programs kick started her own weight loss. She now gets off the train at Central and walks to Town Hall to buy from the fruit vendors, instead of changing trains and going one more station. She drinks more water and less coffee and tea. She brings in cereal and fruit and always eats breakfast at work, whereas she often used to skip breakfast. She takes the stairs instead of the lift at work 99 per cent of the time, participates in one circuit and one Pilates class per week and she swims 1 km at a city pool three days a week.
One of the benefits she has noticed among her colleagues is that they all encourage each other to go to the classes and to get fit. “We egg each other on to go to the classes then meet the instructors who motivate us even more,” she says. Now, she is looking forward to getting a pedometer and competing in the 10 week walking challenge with her colleagues.
