I agree; however, with insurance companies requiring healthier BMI's, no smoking/smoking cessation, body mechanics workshops, etc, for better-priced plans, employers should be actively seeking to at least try and offer something. My employer considers a paycheck the only incentive you need, and couldn't care less how overweight, in poor physical health, or unhappy his employers are. He is a staunch way, way, way to the right conservative furious over what he sees as "socialist" government interference with the way he wishes to run his company (he inherited it) and is doing everything he can to personally "thumb his nose" at the federal and state governments whom he insists is the blame for him having to provide ANY benefits. (He provides an employee-only "fake" health coverage plan that is actually a catastrophic coverage plan in nature, of which he will not hesitate to yank from you without notice if you miss more than four pay periods a year of working full time hours).
He owns the snack machines and is personal friends with the vendor, who only places high sodium, high fat, high sugar, processed and EXPENSIVE foods in them.
He stopped everyone from leaving to go get lunch and forbids deliveries from local places. He says it wastes too much time. Yet his employees often work twelve and sixteen hour shifts at the time, and he gives them zero consideration for pulling extra shifts. He cut costs so far back in the kitchen that the food is crap. AND, you have to buy it, too. It's not made on-site; There are NO fresh vegetables or fruits. Even our eggs for breakfast come in a big milk carton (eggbeaters...even for those who don't have any cholesterol issues). Everything is either brought frozen and ready-made or comes out of a can.
There are no discounts on our health policies, either, given for those who weigh less, or don't smoke, or who regularly exercise. It's an LTC in a rural area, so a lot of the employees are grateful just to not have to drive into the city.
Read my earlier post: he didn't even want ME (who has a desk job) WALKING FROM MY OFFICE TO THE OTHER END OF THE FACILITY FOR ANY REASON!!! He said any info I needed I could pick up the phone and ask for. (SMH)
I am aware he doesn't have to offer any of these things. I am aware I have a desk job and need to produce while I am there. I do a good job, put up with a ton of attitude from people who USED to like to work here but don't any longer (see above), and I make money for him. I bring my lunch every day in a cooler and don't drink sodas. I have an elliptical at home and use it regularly. But every now and then, if I forgot my lunch, or didn't have time to prepare it, I'd like to know there is something I could eat that didn't cost me my entire daily caloric allowance in one meal. I'd like to be able to say, use the treadmill in the therapy room after hours if I'm going to meet friends in town later without driving 40 miles in the opposite direction. I'd like to be able to payroll deduct some athletic shoes or hand weights if money's running tight. (can't do that either, for some reason).
I am saying that if he wants to continue to make a profit, he needs to see what is happening in this country with health care, get out of the eighties, and try something, anything, to keep the employees he has versus constantly training new staff (which he doesn't somehow understand costs more money because he learned from his father "nurses are a dime a dozen"- yes I've heard him say it- but doesn't understand GOOD nurses are NOT a dime a dozen). If he's not willing (and clearly, he's not) to offer 401Ks, incentive bonuses for extra hours/shifts, reasonable, affordable insurance, tax-deferred medical savings plans, etc., I think the least he could do is make it a tad easier to become a little healthier. Maybe it could improve the working conditions around here to the point where I at least don't take my life into my hands by asking the staff questions about the residents. :)
