Towards a shared vision on obesity prevention and management in the workplace

As business leaders, we have an obligation to our employees who live with obesity to make our companies and society more healthy and sustainable.

I am calling on business leaders across different sectors, industries and geographies to join in a shared plan of action on obesity prevention and management in the workplace.

Globally, 3.4 billion employees spend more than half of their hours awake at work – me included. So, what if time spent at work could actively support and enhance our health and wellbeing and truly address our health needs? Investors are increasingly interested in hearing about workforce health initiatives from a sustainability perspective and young employees increasingly choose where to work based on health and wellbeing considerations.

With obesity estimated to rise to nearly 2 billion people by 2035, up from 1 billion in 2020, are we collectively doing enough to stem this global epidemic that affects us all?

We know that inaction on obesity has a big impact on the person living with obesity, but it also has a big impact on the health system and society as a whole. The global economic impact of overweight and obesity is expected to reach $4.32 trillion annually by 2035, representing 3% of global GDP, which is comparable with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020. The increase is not evenly divided between high- and lower-income countries, with the latter being impacted the most. The total economic impact of obesity is expected to increase fourfold in high-income countries and between 12-25 times in lower-income countries by 2060.

As business leaders we have the opportunity – and dare I say an obligation – to play an important role in the health of our employees, the health of our businesses and the health of our societies – that directly supports the global UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Like many companies, we at Novo Nordisk have over the years been active in providing a variety of health offerings to our employees. This ranges from health checks for all staff to enable them to gain deeper insight into their health status, to physical activity offerings and access to dieticians, as well as creating healthy work environments through healthy food offerings in our canteens and introducing standing desk opportunities to increase energy expenditure and improve muscle and bone health.

We are fully committed to our employee health and acknowledge that our obesity prevention and weight management offerings can, and should, be enhanced to make a bigger impact. Thus, we are actively seeking new ways forward. This will allow us to accelerate our prevention initiatives in the workplace and in the wider society. We have, however, also learned that many employees already living with obesity consider it stigmatizing that the company does not address their health needs more directly and provide innovative and impactful offerings for them.

Clearly as employers and businesses, we can do more.

To be successful, we must update our understanding of what obesity is and take that into account in our actions. Science tells us that we need to move away from our current thinking where obesity is seen as a matter of personal choice and a lack of willpower. We now know obesity is a chronic disease that stems from an intricate interplay between personal biology (our genes, metabolisms and hormones) and the environment where we live, work and play. Medical and patient organisations, as well as political entities, are increasingly recognizing this.

As business leaders, we can evolve our understanding of what works in our workplaces. Together, we can innovate, share our experiences and make a potential life-changing impact for our colleagues.

We are glad to put our own experiences and scientific expertise in obesity to good use for the World Economic Forum Healthy Workforces Initiative. We will contribute to the World Economic Forum Insights report on healthy weights and metabolisms to provide important insights for employers on how to make a positive impact on the lives of people living with obesity, while seeking out innovative ways to support the prevention of global obesity through workplace initiatives. We invite you to join us on this important journey.

As business leaders, we can innovate and create health-promoting workplaces – and by that both preventing obesity and supporting those living with obesity. We need to understand and follow the emerging science and better measure our efforts, so we know that we are truly driving change.