Got extra pounds? What would it take for you to lose them? Would it make a difference if your workplace got involved and you were rewarded with cold hard cash for each pound you lost?

A recent study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that overweight employees who are compensated for their efforts lose more weight than those who are not given a reward.

Tim Carr, 35, is a case in point.

Carr, a production supervisor at Pure Metal Galvanizing's Mississauga plant, has lost 58 lbs. since May 2007.

Fanny Karolev

Although he does not attribute all of his success to the fact that he's been rewarded by his company with gift certificates from Future Shop for his weight loss, he says the incentive hasn't hurt.

"For the average blue-collar worker, a $100 gift certificate to Future Shop is a pretty good deal," he says, pointing out that he's already working toward his second one.

Pure Metal is one of about a dozen companies throughout the United States and Canada that has installed a computerized weight-tracking system called a Lifescale from a Canadian company called Global Diagnostics Inc., which is based in Toronto.

The Lifescale tracks employees' weight, body fat and body mass index (BMI) and awards points to participants for losing weight and keeping it off. The points are redeemed for gift certificates, which are issued by Lifescale but paid for by the participating company.

Companies that purchase a Lifescale can customize their own reward program, offering gift certificates to whichever store they choose, in the denomination of their choice.

Aside from issuing reward incentives, the Lifescale keeps track of participants' progress and e-mails individuals a weekly report.

The data is also sent to the employer, but names are not included for privacy reasons.

Dennis Gower, vice-president of operations at Pure Metal Galvanizing, says his company installed a Lifescale to help employees track their weight loss.

"A few people at the Mississauga plant had $100 bets on who could lose the most weight ... The company jumped in and said we will put the scale in," says Gower, who has lost 10 lbs. using the Lifescale.

Campbell's Company of Canada is also using the Lifescale, but in a bigger way. So far, 600 of 1,400 employees are signed up to use the scale, amounting to 16,000 weigh-ins since the company installed the scales one year ago.

Emerson Segura

"We love it," says Fanny Karolev, a registered nurse and manager of health and wellness at Campbell's. "When you look at the numbers, it's extremely telling. People are using the scales."

She says they have sparked some healthy competition between employees.

"Monday mornings everyone's lined up at the scale ... People really enjoy it," she says.

However, she adds that the company has "taken great pains" to install them in locations that allow for privacy and that the company does not have access to individual information.

"We have no idea how people are individually doing. It's very confidential," she says, adding that a fifth scale is now in the works.

Karolev is not convinced that giftcards (Campbell's offers grocery store giftcards as incentives) are the reason for the high enrolment in the program.

"The incentives are a bonus, but I don't think that's what is driving the enrolment," she says.

"I think people get quite fond of the feedback on how lifestyle changes are influencing their body composition ... I've had people say: 'Wow, this has kept me going to the gym because I know that it is making a difference.' " According to Karolev, the Lifescale is just part of a more comprehensive wellness program that Campbell's offers its employees.

She says the company has a fitness facility at its Canadian headquarters in Toronto, and offers month-ly educational pro -grams on nutrition and active living to all its employees. Staff also has access to registered nurses and kinesiologists.

Is the Lifescale program working?

"I would say it has made a difference. We can definitely say that the percentage of people that initially registered that fell into a very high BMI category is much less than it was a year ago. We are definitely trending in the right direction," she says.

Aside from creating a healthier workforce, the company has made itself more attractive to potential job applicants.

"It's a wonderful recruitment tool," she says.

The Lifescale also helps companies track the overall health of their workforce.

Emerson Segura, president and co-founder of Global Diagnostics Inc., says this is one of the primary reasons companies sign up.

"It can tell you all kinds of things about your workforce," he says.

Aside from tracking the weight, body fat and BMI of employees, the Lifescale can also integrate employees' cholesterol levels and glucose levels. Soon, it will also monitor blood pressure.

Clients such as Campbell's have opted for one of the more comprehensive Lifescale programs.

Their program enables them to integrate health surveys, as well as the glucose and cholesterol levels of its staff.

However, Segura is quick to point out that the company is not privy to individualized health reports.

"We don't share individual data about any one employee," he says, also pointing out that the program is voluntary.

For companies with more than one facility, the Lifescale can help a company analyse the health of its employees region by region.

"It will help a company understand how one region is doing vs. another region. If one is less healthy than another, an employer can choose to allocate more money in terms of health care for that region to get those employees healthier. As a result, they save money on health-care costs," explains Segura.

The cost of the scale is $1,500. (Segura suggests one scale for every 250 employees.) There is also a $4.50-$5 monthly fee for each employee who signs up for the program.

Segura says there are 5,000 people who are registered Lifescale users. He expects this number will grow significantly next year as his company targets the U.S. market. He adds that the system is the only one of its kind on the market.

Those who are worried about the Big Brother aspect of weighing in at work might want to hold off until next year.

"By early next year we'll have a consumer version," he says.

For a mere $99 you can step on the scale in the privacy of your own home - and watch those pounds melt away without anyone even knowing that you care.

Corporate Wellness

Recent surveys conducted by online career portal Monster Canada found that a majority of Canadian workers are interested in corporate-wellness programs, but a minority of companies is actually offering them. According to the survey, 88 per cent of those polled reported that they see great value in corporate wellness programs while only 20 per cent have access to them.

Monster also reports:

* The average worker spends an average of 60 per cent of his/her waking hours at work.

* Corporate wellness programs return an average of $3 for every dollar spent.

* 14 to 15 per cent of the Canadian population works out regularly at a fitness facility.

(Christina Friedrichsen can be reached at friedrichsen@businessedge.ca)