Shape Up or Ship Out

Last year, a company in Michigan made national news by firing employees who refused to try to quit smoking. The same company recently instituted that employees who refuse to take mandated medical tests and physical examinations would see their monthly health insurance premiums jump up $65.

There is a great deal of contention over this issue, mainly that the personal rights of employees are being compromised and that these employees can be fired or fined for engaging in legal activities, like smoking, outside the workplace. On the other side of the argument are the rights of companies to utilize incentives to improve not only their employee’s health but also their own bottom line.

Although you can't legally require someone to get fit or lose weight, an employer can require employees to participate in a health program. For instance, if a population of participants is obese, an employer can raise their insurance premiums if they don't agree to participate in a wellness program. These programs are intended to be an incentive rather than a punishment, but some workers’ rights groups would argue that they are used as a method to discriminate against unhealthy people. And although Federal law currently forbids employers from discriminating against workers if genetic testing suggests they're susceptible to certain diseases, this is a possibility that workers’ rights groups don't want to confront in the future.

With the rise in popularity of consumer-directed plans and accountability being placed on the individual, the trend of companies instituting regulations and penalties to employees that choose to live unhealthy lives is sure to continue.