Gee, I wish Someone Would've Paid me to Lose Weight

Losing weight for dollars--it appears to be a trend: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100602/ap_on_he_me/us_med_dieting_for_dollars

Hey, I'm all for trying new things, but I have to wonder if paying employees money to lose weight will really change their bad habits in the long run.

After all, it's bad habits--eating the wrong kinds of foods and inactivity--that leads to excess weight gain. If you pay someone to lose weight, but don't do anything to change those bad habits in the long run, then will those people actually lose weight in the long term?

Maybe instead of giving employees money, employers should spend the money on things like treadmill desks, in-office gyms or exercise classes and nutritional counseling.

Overall, it's a positive step that employers are trying to help employees manage their weight. And, let's not kid ourselves, it's in the employers' best interest to do so to manage and control health care costs and absenteeism issues. But, you have to wonder if paying employees to lose pounds is the way to go.