Employees with balanced diets have 10 times more energy, compared to workers with poor dietary habits, reports ComPsych Corp. in its 2008 Health & Productivity Index.

The index shows only 5% of employees with unbalanced diets had high levels of energy, while 50% of workers with balanced diets had high energy. "Energy is a key factor in productivity," says Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych.

"Lack of energy is also one of the most common health-related complaints we hear from employees," Chaifetz adds. "Given the connection between balanced diets and energy, organizations that promote healthy food as part of a comprehensive wellness program can expect to see a payoff in terms of productivity and performance."

ComPsych, a Chicago-based provider of EAP and wellness programs, surveyed more than 1,000 employees across the United States from employers of all sizes and industries.

Key findings from the 2008 Health & Productivity Index include: 

• Among employees with healthy diets, 73% reported having high levels of productivity, compared to 24% of employees with poor dietary habits.
• Fifty-one percent of ideal-weight employees had high morale, while less than half that amount – 25% - of very overweight employees had high morale levels.
• Fifty-seven percent of healthy-weight employees reported high levels of productivity, while only 27% of very overweight employees reported being highly productive.

For a copy of the full report, send an e-mail to wellnessprograms@compsych.com.

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• Obesity costs employers $45 billion a year
• Align company culture with health initiatives
• Putting trust in onsite health coaching to address obesity