One of the major causes of strife between management and workers these days is the rising cost of health care — that is, assuming the employees even get health care anymore.

It’s easy for us to point the finger at greedy executives or doctors or insurance companies, but a lot of the fat cats causing all the trouble are rank-and-filers. One crucial reason that medical costs are going up so much is that so many of us are so overweight.

Lynn Swann, chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, testified before the House Committee on Government Reform in June that the United States spends $117 billion a year on conditions related to obesity and an additional $132 billion on Type 2 diabetes, which is often caused by poor diet and a lack of exercise.

The Society for Human Resource Management says that health problems due to obesity are responsible for 39 million lost work days per year because of people calling in sick, and that obesity costs U.S. employers nearly $13 billion annually.

SHRM Chief Executive Officer Sue Meisinger said in a telephone interview that obesity often leads to joint problems, high blood pressure and heart problems as well as diabetes, and that forces insurers to pay more to doctors and pharmacies. As their costs go up, employers’ premiums go up. Disability insurance premiums also have been increasing, Meisinger said.

Bad eating habits and lack of exercise also can get passed along to the employees’ children, who are often included in the group health insurance coverage. As more children become obese, more bills pile up.

Meisinger said that except in rare circumstances, employers can’t discriminate against overweight workers — in fact, morbid obesity is protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act — but they can make sure that all employees have access to such services as health counseling and nutrition workshops. Also useful is a list of places where people can go to get help.

She said some employers underwrite employees’ health club memberships or have health facilities at work, and a few even will pay for gastric bypass surgery — hoping that the surgery will be less expensive than the long-term health problems caused by obesity.

Even if employers can’t afford to take such major steps, Meisinger suggests they examine their practices. Make sure, for example, that the company’s vending machines have healthy snacks instead of just candy.

Door to door: One of the most inspiring and poignant TV movies in years was “Door to Door,” the TNT biography of Bill Porter. Although he was born with cerebral palsy, Porter managed to become a hugely successful salesman through persistence and charm.

You can find out more about him and get plenty of workplace inspiration in the process by reading “Ten Things I Learned From Bill Porter,” written by his longtime assistant and friend Shelley Brady and released in paperback this year by New World Library of Novato, Calif.
In the book, Brady explains how she had to do a sales job of her own, persuading Porter to go out and give speeches with her even though it cut into his sales time. Getting him to do it on a Saturday was almost impossible because that was the day he called customers who weren’t at home when he stopped by during the week, and Porter considered that to be crucial.

“I tried another angle that I thought might work with him,” she writes. “ ‘Bill,’ I said, ‘suppose you make more money on Saturday from the speaking fee than if you stayed home and did callbacks?’ He still wasn’t swayed. Then it dawned on me.

“ ‘Bill,’ I asked, ‘what if we handed out catalogs to all 300 audience members and invited them to be your customers? You could potentially double your sales next month.’ Bingo! I could see Bill calculating the sales figures in is head. And as it turned out, dozens of audience members purchased items from Bill after our talk.”

She did what any smart worker does: Find out what the boss or customer really wants, then deliver it.