CareerBuilder is a company that provides career guidance. It recently commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a survey. The survey included over 3,500 full-time workers and asked questions about people’s weight gain or loss in their current profession.
Some of results showed that over half of respondents believe they are overweight. Approximately 41 percent said they have gained weight in their current employment. Out of the people who claimed to have gained weight, almost 60 percent said they had gained over 10 pounds. There were 30 percent who claimed they had gained more than 20 pounds. Out of everyone surveyed, around 16 percent said they had actually lost weight while at their current employment.
It appears that professions with a lot of high stress and long hours of sitting had the highest numbers of workers gaining weight.
Professions where workers gain the most weight
•Administrative Assistant (69 percent)
•Engineer (56 percent)
•Teacher/Instructor K-12 (51 percent)
•Nurse Practitioner or Physician’s Assistant (51 percent)
•IT Manager/Network Administrator (51 percent)
•Attorney/Judge/ Legal Professional (48 percent)
•Machine Operator/Assembly/Production Worker (45 percent)
•Scientist, Biological/Physical/Social (39 percent)
Sources of Weight Gain
•Sitting at my desk most of the day – 56 percent
•Eating because of stress – 35 percent
•Eating out regularly – 26 percent
•The temptation of the office candy jar – 17 percent
•Having to skip meals because of time constraints – 17 percent
•Workplace celebrations (potlucks, birthdays) – 17 percent
•Pressure to eat food co-workers bring in – 9 percent
•Happy hours – 4 percent
In a May 30, 2013 press release Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder is quoted as saying “Weight gain at work often comes from a combination of poor eating habits when you’re on the go and not being able to fit a workout into a busy schedule. Two in five workers don’t exercise on a regular basis and one in ten don’t exercise at all. “Whether it’s daily walks with a co-worker or taking advantage of company wellness benefits, it’s important to find a way to stay active.”
Source
CareerBuilder
Press Release
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