RyansWorld: Mandatory fitness program
From Future
By the 2030s, most corporations in Japan and North America will offer mandatory fitness programs to their employees, executives, and businesspeople. Depending on the corporate culture, these fitness routines will either be implemented either one hour before the actual start of business hours, one hour after the corporation is closed for business, or during the lunch break. These programs will reduce obesity and promote healthier habits both inside and outside the workplace.
The punishment for not attending a mandatory fitness program would either be termination of employment, suspension of employment, demotion, or demerit points which would eventually lead to the termination of employment. Both male and female employees would be included in the mandatory fitness program and training programs on how to reduce calorie consumption while on business trips will become available on a semi-regular basis.
In Europe the fitness program will be implemented in a softer way. Larger corporations already provide free gyms, dental and medical services on site. Smaller companies will get more organised and make agreements with nearby hotels and wellness-centres. One of the pressures will be that in Europe, as the state increasingly fails to pay for medicine, companies end up paying the life and health insurance premiums, not the workers.
Human resources advisers will become more familiar with the Soviet research which shows that chess players improve their abilities when practice games are combined with a physical fitness program. The pressure for 'excellence' will lead to the fitness programs as just one outcome. Other outcomes will be greater attention to noise-pollution in the workspace, and at-your-desk biofeedback systems to help workers reach 'optimal' function.
Fitness will also be considered during annual salary reviews; as losing weight increases the energy level of the employee and increase overall productivity. Financial credits will be given for sick-days not taken. Obesity will be treated in the same way as alcoholism, as a serious medical problem that needs treatment.
