Workers With Healthy Diets May Be More Productive

By Lydell C. Bridgeford
July 1, 2008

Employees with balanced diets have 10 times more energy, compared to workers with poor dietary habits, reports ComPsych Corp. in its 2008 Health & Productivity Index.

The index shows only 5% of employees with unbalanced diets had high levels of energy, while 50% of workers with balanced diets had high energy. "Energy is a key factor in productivity," says Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych. "Lack of energy is also one of the most common health-related complaints we hear from employees," Chaifetz adds. "Given the connection between balanced diets and energy, organizations that promote healthy food as part of a comprehensive wellness program can expect to see a payoff in terms of productivity and performance."

ComPsych, a Chicago-based provider of EAP and wellness programs, surveyed more than 1,000 employees across the United States from employers of all sizes and industries. Key findings from the 2008 Health & Productivity Index include:

• 73% of employees with healthy diets reported having high levels of productivity, compared to just 24% of employees with poor dietary habits.
• 51% of ideal-weight employees had high morale, while less than half that amount – 25% - of very overweight employees had high morale levels.
• 57% of healthy-weight employees reported high levels of productivity, while only 27% of very overweight employees reported being highly productive.