Unilever to offer health advice as part of employee benefits

Unilever, the food and domestic goods producer, will offer all its 7,500 UK employees advice on diet and exercise as part of its employee benefits package after a successful pilot scheme involving 175 employees last year.

During the pilot, 104 office workers underwent health checks at the beginning of the year of which 48 (80 per cent) were diagnosed as being obese.

Once 42 of them returned for a second weigh-in, 16 per cent were said to be overweight - a nine per cent reduction in the amount classed as overweight.

Alan Walters, vice-president of HR at the firm, said: "Through taking some simple measures, major employers have a real opportunity to help employees live healthy lives - quickly, on a sufficiently large scale, and with no impact on public spending."

"By rolling out Fit Business across all of our UK& Ireland sites and sharing our insights into complex behaviour change, we hope to play an important role in helping tackle the rising challenge of obesity facing the UK."

Irish life, the financial services company, announced the launch of a new voluntary benefits plan that includes private medical insurance yesterday (March 1st). Back