Wellness programs are gaining popularity with employers (about 1/3 of companies in the U.S. now offer them) and for many, it's a real blessing, after all who wouldn't want a free gym membership sitting out there that they can use or not, or free health screenings and flu shots available right on the job site?

Wellness programs are a "win win" in most cases for both the employees and the employers -- the employees get healthier and the employers save money on health costs. Having your job provide and encourage you to use various means of getting healthier works in different ways for different people, what are your experiences? Some people catch potentially serious health conditions (such as high blood pressure or raised cholesterol levels) earlier than they would have otherwise because the nurse was convenient and at the office, or maybe they lose weight because having fitness facilities in the building made it easier to exercise with a coworker over the lunch hour.

But although most wellness programs are doing nothing but good, as they grow in popularity there's also a growing debate on just how far companies should go in terms of their employees' health. Companies may have the right to encourage their employees to be healthy, but do they have the right to require them to be? And who defines what "healthy" really means?

Believe it or not, some companies today already have programs in place that are pretty severe and privacy-invading. Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, for example, bans their employees from smoking at all (i.e. even in their own homes or on their off time) and to back it up, they occasionally test for nicotine -- a man was fired because he tested positive.

Right? Wrong? It is a free country and I'm assuming that the guy knew about their 'no smoking' policy when he decided to take the job at Miracle-Gro, but then smoking isn't illegal so why the big issue? Can't they just make eligibility for health insurance contingent on not smoking? Why the whole job? Should a company's rights expand beyond its property and into your home for an issue like this?

I have a feeling that I don't have all the information here, and so although I'm leaning towards employees and their rights to privacy and lifestyle choices I'm really not comfortable voicing a strong opinion yet. What do you think? Has anybody had any experience with an extreme or controversial wellness plan at their job?

Via Lifehacker