In a health promotion initiative of the sort that other agencies might wish to adopt, OMB employees are being offered pedometers and are being encouraged to walk more on the theory that a healthier workforce is also a more productive workforce.
This being OMB, everything will be quantified: an internal Web site has been established and employees will be able to log in to enter their daily steps, compare their steps to director Peter Orszag’s, and see their divisions’ average steps. Employees will also be able to enter their health statistics such as blood pressure, body mass index and resting heart rate and will be offered pre-screenings to establish a baseline.
The employee who does the most walking each month will be treated to lunch with Orszag, and the best-performing team will get a “healthy happy hour.”
