Penalties for Non-participation in Wellness Programs

Source: Financial Times, June 20, 2013 The use of penalties for employee non-participation in wellness programs has more than doubled in the US from 2009 to 2011. Penalties to drive reductions in smoking or obesity raise ethical questions, says Harald Schmidt. “In principle there would be nothing wrong if it was equally easy for all to comply with conditions,” he says. “But because that’s questionable for smoking, just as for obesity, real fairness issues are raised.”