Weight loss medicines at work: What employees and employers need to know

The weight loss management landscape is changing. New medicated weight loss treatments, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, are becoming more popular in the UK and internationally. They have completely changed how patients and clinicians approach weight management. 

It is estimated that at least 1.5M people in the UK are using medicated weight loss treatments, many of them accessing the drugs through private online providers. Eligibility for the treatments on the NHS is still limited, albeit this is broadening with time. 

Weight loss and weight loss drugs are not just a personal health issue. This topic is relevant to the workplace in subtle but important ways. 

Obesity and work

Before discussing weight loss treatments, it’s relevant to put this in context of obesity: the health condition these treatments are aimed at managing. Obesity is a significant population health issue in the UK, impacting around 1 in four adults. Around 1 in 5 children leave primary school obese.

Obesity comes with its own health impacts, such as strain on joints and the cardiovascular system. Obesity can also increase the risk of a number of other health conditions with significant consequences, including type two diabetes and certain types of cancer. All of these impacts of obesity can lead to symptoms, deterioration in workplace function, the need for treatments which can have a significant side effect profile, and the need for sickness absence. 

So treating obesity is relevant. Both on an individual level and when thinking about workforce. Weight loss treatments are therefore part of the wider conversation on how to support health and productivity at work. 

How do weight loss medicines work? 

The current new generation of treatments are glucagon like peptide or GLP-1 receptor agonists. They copy the action of a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon like peptide or GLP-1. The drug mimics this natural hormone, helping us produce more insulin, slow down digestion and can lead to reduced appetite. 

The side effects of weight loss drugs vary. They include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation more commonly, although where these persist and lead to dehydration kidney damage can happen as a result. Fatigue, dizziness and low blood sugar are also common side effects. Less commonly, the drugs can cause inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) and bowel obstruction - a dangerous condition when the bowel is blocked. 

What are the workplace considerations for weight loss treatments? 

Workplace considerations for team members on weight loss drugs are very case dependent.

Risk assessments will depend on:

• Role factors (what the individual does at work) 

• The side effects an individual experiences (how the treatment is impacting them)

These facets come together when considering impact on work. For example, somebody with a safety critical role experiencing high levels of fatigue after starting weight loss drugs may well require adjustments. Due to both role and side effect factors, they will require adjustments for safe working. Here’s an example of a fictional case study below. 

Mr V is a security guard. He has obesity and type two diabetes, both of which were worsening with time. He started Mounjaro four weeks ago, and has already experienced some weight loss. He initially felt nauseous with some diarrhoea though this has improved. In the past week, he has felt extremely tired and on one occasion felt himself almost drift off to sleep at work. A colleague spotted him and reported this to his manager. What would you do next? 

How to manage weight loss drugs at work

Given the range of variables from workplace, to role, to side effect profile of weight loss drugs, organisational policy must be established to catch high risk cases proactively. 

At the most basic level, this means ensuring the entire workforce have a clear understanding of their responsibilities when it comes to the relationship between work and health. On employment health checks are a great opportunity to address any health needs during onboarding and establishing a dialogue on work and health. For all employees, establishing good practice going forward would extend to reporting any significant changes in health or treatment that may interfere with how they do their role. For those employees that manage others, good and safe practice means knowing what to do with this information. 

Occupational health is an extremely useful resource in this regard. An occupational health consultation is a confidential space to discuss any changes in symptoms, health and treatment, away from colleagues and managers. This helps individuals share information that may be relevant to work, without feeling uncomfortable about talking about personal aspects of their health with people they work with. Weight and weight loss can be certainly be difficult to talk about in workplace settings. 

Occupational health is also useful in understanding and evaluating the relevance of symptoms and side effects in the workplace, and recommending adjustments to manage these. The risks of weight loss medications in the workplace need to be evaluated and managed on a case by case basis. While somebody with relatively contained side effects may still require adjustments if they work in a safely critical role, somebody with more significant side effects may be able to work safely in a role without adjustments where these side effects do not interfere with their workplace functioning. What’s more, people’s journey with weight loss medications may change over time, with change in dose, change in treatment or stopping treatment. Clinical input on how to manage the effect of this on their workplace functioning is valuable. It protects managers from nuanced decision making around colleagues’ health and work that may be difficult for them to undertake safely without clinical expertise 

Takeaways 

Take this opportunity to speak to your workforce about work and health. Whether it be weight loss drugs or any other change in health or treatment, be proactive. Establishing a low threshold for coming forward for support is protective for your employees, their productivity and the organisation. Weight loss drugs are no different. What helps is having access to occupational health as a landing ground for all things work and health. So if people do come forward for support, you can signpost them to the confidential and clinical expertise that is needed to manage work and health end to end. 

Weight loss medicines are just one example of how personal health and work can overlap. If you or your organisation would benefit from expert advice on managing health in the workplace, contact Insight Workplace Health to find out how we can help.”