Benefits June 7, 2012

Certain Careers Worse for the Waistline than Others

June 7, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Two-in-five workers (44%) surveyed by CareerBuilder indicated they have gained weight at their current job.
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Twenty-six percent of workers gained more than 10 pounds, and 14% gained more than 20 pounds. Sixteen percent of respondents said they lost weight.  

Certain occupations had a higher incidence of workers reporting weight gain, including: 

  • Travel Agent, 
  • Attorney/Judge, 
  • Social Worker, 
  • Teacher, 
  • Artist/Designer/Architect, 
  • Administrative Assistant, 
  • Physician, 
  • Protective Services (Police, Firefighter), 
  • Marketing/Public Relations Professional, and 
  • Information Technology Professional. 

More than half of workers (54%) attributed their weight gain to sitting at their desk most of the day, and roughly the same amount (56%) stated they eat their lunch there as well.   

Other culprits causing weight gain include: 

  • Eating because of stress – 37%; 
  • Eating out regularly – 23%; 
  • Having to skip meals because of time constraints – 19%; 
  • Workplace celebrations (potlucks, birthdays) – 18%; 
  • The temptation of the office candy jar – 16%; and 
  • Pressure to eat food co-workers bring in – 10%. 

When asked how often they eat out at work for lunch instead of bringing their meal from home, 53% of workers said they do so at least once a week, 23% at least three times a week and 11% at least five times a week. Ten percent of workers indicated they eat lunch out of the vending machine at least once a week, and 71% said they snack during the workday.   

Fifty-nine percent of workers reported they exercise regularly, and 10% said they don’t exercise at all.   

The study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from February 9 to March 2, included more than 5,700 workers across industries. 

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