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My wife is a big
loser. Over the past two years, she and several co-workers have
been losing weight in a friendly workplace competition themed after the
NBC television series, The Biggest Loser.
This was no easy
task. As a social worker, Kristen and her team are constantly on the
road. Lunchtime usually consists of drive-thru or convenience store
fare. A social worker's exercise regiments are more likely to lead to
carpal tunnel disease than weight loss. Supporting a seven-year-old who
hears voices telling her to kill her parents, among dozens of other
clients, leads to a new breed of job-related stress.
So how do you
motivate a dozen social workers to become "big losers"?
I spoke with Jamie
Edinger, a Care Management Supervisor for a county mental health
agency. Jamie, and two co-workers, began "The Biggest Loser"
competition simply as a way of motivating each other to lose weight. As
her team heard about it, and saw the results, they joined in the
competition.
Over a two-year
period approximately a dozen employees participated in one or more
quarterly rounds of the game. Each Monday they would weigh in and look
at the results individually and as a group. The overall "Biggest
Loser" was the person who lost the largest percentage of their
starting body weight over several weeks.
The competitions
were put on hiatus over holidays, and there were gaps between each.
They wanted it to be enjoyable and fun, but not stressful or guilt
inducing. Some of the competitors gained a little back, but all of them
saw overall weight loss.
When I asked about
results, Edinger told us "Five members of the team lost 25 pounds
or more, and one of them lost 50 pounds."
I'm proud to say
that my wife, Kristen Tweed, was one of the five people who managed to
lose more than 25 pounds.
Caring for
mentally ill children and their families can be stressful. In fact, my
wife is 36 years old, and the oldest member of their eight person team.
There is a fairly high "burnout factor" in social work.
One of her
co-workers told Kristen after a particularly stressful day, "After
a day like today I'd like to quit my job, but I can't because I'm
losing weight."
Whether or not
"The Biggest Loser" competition actually retained this
employee is less relevant than the fact that it was a contributing
factor to their job satisfaction.
A low stress and
voluntary healthy competition has several potential benefits,
including:
·
Improved employee health,
potentially reducing healthcare costs
·
Improved job
satisfaction, potentially preventing turnover
·
Reduced risk of
work-related injury
·
Increased team
camaraderie, potentially increasing productivity
After
two years and half a dozen rounds, their team is no longer having
competitions, but the results are clear. Not only did the events have
several potential benefits for the company, but the team also
recognized an unquantifiable benefit. They know that their supervisor,
and their organization, cares about them. To a team of people who spend
their lives caring, this is priceless.
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