RyansWorld: Mandatory fitness program

By the 2050s, most corporations in Japan and North America will offer mandatory fitness programs to their employees, executives, and businesspeople.

Most workplace tasks by the year 2050 will be as easy as playing a massive multiplayer online video game like Unreal Tournament or the 2014 version of SimCity.

Summary
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 Western 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. 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 (either in the form of a company gift certificate or in hard currency) 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. The Great Depression of 2008-17 would be a scapegoat to terminate the employment of chronically obese employees. They can say that the recession caused them to lose their jobs but it was their obesity that got them fired (because they are a liability to the company with their vending machine snack habits).

History
Poor health of retired or past firefighters was an eye-opener for the Augusta Fire Department that prompted it to start a mandatory wellness program earlier this year.

The fire department had been making strides in improving firefighter safety with better and safer equipment, but physical fitness was something it needed to tackle, Deputy Chief Sterling Jones said.

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death of current and past firefighters. From 1990 to 2000, 44 percent of all firefighter deaths were from heart attacks, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Stress, sleep deprivation, constant high adrenaline levels, an environment of smoke and chemical exposure and unhealthy lifestyle all contribute to the issue.

The local fire stations all have weights and other fitness equipment but they were rarely, and in some cases never, used until recently, Jones said.

The new wellness plan, which went into effect in June, requires every firefighter to work out at least one hour per day while on duty. Titus Sports in Atlanta teamed up with the department to develop a plan and train 20 firefighters to become peer fitness trainers to lead daily exercises and help colleagues with any fitness-related issues.

All firefighters were required to have a physical before starting the program.