Money talks, and that's true for weight loss also. A new study has shown that people will lose weight for money, even if it's just a little. The best use of this information may not be for you to necessarily reward yourself at home (although if that works then go for it!) but for your employer to offer you incentives at work. Obviously having healthy employees benefits business in many ways, so by offering money to staff with healthy habits and weight loss everybody wins.

Apparently there are more studies in the works to find what the best dollar amounts are and if results and incentives work in the long term. How much would it take for you to lose weight? Honestly, any amount would encourage me (considering it's something I want to do anyway) but the more the better!

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Employers should assist depressed employees in order to curb absenteeism, according to a new study released this week.

In addition, it is in the best interests of the employer to help employees maintain proper health (mentally and physically). In a world of personal responsibility, the daily grind of employment can sometimes tax employees beyond their limits, if you ask me.

It's unfortunate that many employers, according to the study, view mental health coverage as a "financial black hole," most likely because there is very little measurable cost savings to be had. Unfortunately, the reverse it true -- the most you help employees help themselves, the more productive they'll be and the fewer days they'll miss. Someone get a bean counter in on that thought.

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It seems all too common for people to feel stressed out, complain about, and be generally unhappy at and about their jobs. It's a rare thing to be totally excited that it's Monday morning and time to go to work, isn't it? That's so sad! But there are things you can do, as an employer or as an employee, to help make your workplace a happier place.

I came across an article entitled "The Happiness Project," and although it's focused mainly on things employers can do, I think many of the ideas can be beneficial for the average working person also. If you happen to be in a position of management or power, then you really should look at how you can be making things better for those under you. And if you're not, still don't be discouraged. Understanding and knowledge are powerful things, and if you have a clear picture of what a healthy, happy work environment looks like, you might be surprised at how much easier it becomes to create or find one.

One of the biggest things that affects happiness and satisfaction on the job is control. We all like to be in control of our lives, be it in the big picture or just a daily snapshot. Do you have choices at work? Freedom to do tasks in your own way or to make schedule changes when you need to can do a lot for job satisfaction. And when it comes to your schedule having a tolerable commute is also a major player. Whether it's dealing with rush hour traffic, or just a long drive that takes time out of your personal life, a bad commute can make for a bad job experience.

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The CDC says that as many as 66% of Americans are overweight or obese, and although that may be no big surprise (yes, we know it's a problem!) this may come as a shock: that number of unhealthy people translates to a cost of $117 billion dollars a year to the economy, or more! Obviously the connection between health and economics is becoming hard to ignore, which is prompting more and more employers to take a look at just what they're doing to help combat this problem.

Different companies are taking different approaches, and like you'd expect some are better than others. Some places, like Merrill Lynch for example, are seemingly going in exactly the wrong direction. They're reducing the number of sick days available to their employees, thinking that less days available means less days taken and therefore less money spent. But that really does nothing to fix the underlying problem of why the employees are missing so many days to begin with, and if anything it may have people who are still sick coming back to work early and infecting others.

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I work on the Workplace Fitness feature here at That's Fit, so I read all the time about health at work, and how employers can have major impacts on peoples lives when they make the efforts towards health and wellness programs. Case in point: a new study found that employees who participated in a health program through their job improved their blood pressure and diabetes management by 9% and 15% respectively. There were also other benefits for both employers and employees, such as decreased numbers of absenteeism and fewer and workplace accidents.

With the health care situation the way it is these days, and since healthier people cost less money, I should think employers would be all over this like white on rice. It is slowly catching on, though, so do ask about it at your work. If you have a program available to you then by all means take advantage! And if you don't, well then let your voice be heard that you'd like to see one.

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Whether you're in management and have employees under you who may be affected, or if you're just a "peon" looking to influence your employer towards a more health-conscious culture at work, the reasons for encouraging fitness and health at work are pretty much undebatable. What it really comes down to is that healthy people are productive people, and having productive people in a place of business is always a good thing. So if you're compiling a case for your boss to start up a wellness program, or just looking for your own inspiration, here are 10 reasons to encourage fitness and health at work:

• Reduced absenteeism and reduced health care costs. Fitness boosts the immune system, so fit employees are less likely to catch every cold that makes its way around the office and call in sick or visit the doctor.
• Higher productivity. Fit employees have more energy, and are better able to stay focused and work harder and faster than out of shape, sleepy workers.

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Rated right up there with pay on most surveys, employees cite a healthy work environment as one of their top priorities when it comes to their career. Rightly so, it seems, considering that most of us spend the majority of our waking hours of life at a job of some kind. And whether you're interested in overall health and fitness, or merely in being as productive as possible when you're working, an unhealthy and stressful situation is going to do nothing but bad things for your health, your fitness, and your job performance.

So, what makes for a healthy work environment anyway? There's more to it than offering fitness memberships in the benefits package and low-fat snack items in the vending machine. It's about culture, and the whole picture coming together to make work as pleasant and as stress-free an experience as possible.

According to this article, there are six key things to look for when evaluating whether a workplace is truly a healthy and positive environment. First off, you should hear a lot of laughter. Laughter is a sign of comfort, and comfort is healthy. Second, you and your coworkers should share ideas freely. Again this relates to comfort -- employees should feel safe, respected, and listened to.

You should know what is expected of you, from job description to dress code to behavior, and you should be able to "work simply" without feeling that frivolous or redundant demands are placed on your time. You should also have an organized and comfortable physical environment, and you and your company should have a strong connection with others and with the community.

These criteria are somewhat subjective, but if your company doesn't meet all of them, don't quit yet! Many of these items can be introduced and nurtured, and will grow over time. Encourage and promote actions that support positive energy, respectful interactions, and simplified processes. And for goodness sake, get yourself a comfy chair!

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