Whole Foods “Health” Discounts
Whole Foods has a voluntary program giving employees bigger discounts if they have the right body mass index, cholesterol and blood pressure.
Employees could earn an additional 10 percent off groceries (30 percent) if they are closer to an ideal weight for their height. Wow.
I have written in the past about states trying to put extra health care costs on their heavier employees.
Is there a great weight debate going on in modern companies?
I am all for Weight Watchers at work. I’m all for the work place having a gym or company softball team. However, a program where people who are healthier get an extra 10 percent off seems like it needs more discussion. Some people just naturally have crap cholesterol levels.
I could see all the 30-percent discount employees (the healthies) getting tired of all their friends (bad bodies) hitting them up for the “hook up” on arugula. Will there be a divide at work between the “healthies” and the “bad bodies”, like the sharks and the jets? in West Side Story?
What do you think of Whole Foods’ new program? Is it motivational? Is it shady? Is it an OK program because it’s optional? Would you do it if you worked at Whole Foods? I bet you would if you had a hot body. Thirty percent off is nothing to sneeze at.
3 Responses to Whole Foods “Health” Discounts
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You are right, lots of things like cholesterol are genetic. But what someone else also pointed out is that the genuinely unhealthy employees would be the ones to benefit the most from the discount!
Personally, I think that you should reward employees based on merit and tenure. Not how much they weigh and whether or not you think they are healthy.
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wow! at first i thought this was a little bit fantastic. i work really hard to be in shape and run often. however, no matter what i eat and how much i exercise, i have horrible cholesterol (even at age 26)… and i’m not a candidate for any types of cholesterol lowering medication. i know cholesterol isn’t the only issue here – tons of people struggle to loose weight and lower their blood pressure but can’t because of their genetic disposition. sounds unfair to me.
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@GLM: Right, it should be about the work. Why did I miss that point? Thanks for commenting.
@Rachel: It’s tough. I just think it could make the workplace so uncomfortable. Why penalize people with things that they can’t control? Weight loss is one thing, but cholesterol level management is a whole other bag.
GLM