Nearly 74% of Americans are overweight or obese, and 88% are metabolically unhealthy, fueling conditions such as type II diabetes, prediabetes, and hypertension. These statistics are more than public health markers; they are a quiet crisis unfolding inside workplaces across the country. The impact goes beyond medical claims. Employers face rising absenteeism, declining productivity, and increasing costs tied to managing chronic conditions. The issue is particularly pressing at a time when healthcare expenses already strain both organizations and employees. For HR executives and benefits leaders, addressing metabolic health is no longer a “nice to have,” it is a critical priority.
The challenge lies in how employee health has been historically approached. Traditional wellness programs enrolled employees into programs that had notoriously high drop-off rates. Statisticians were left to rely on stale data, measuring the effectiveness of initiatives months after they ended. By then, dollars are spent, opportunities are missed, and outcomes often remain unclear. What’s needed is a shift to the other side of that paradigm. Implementing a solution whose foundation is in real-time and AI, we are no longer looking in the rear-view, looking at old data to see if something worked. With these constraints removed, real-time data-driven strategies can prevent chronic conditions before they escalate, offering sustainable, long-term results.
Moving to Proactive Health Management
AI-powered platforms can now assess a patient’s entire health by integrating biometrics such as sleep, stress, nutrition, and activity, to show how daily lifestyle changes directly impact outcomes. At Signos, for example, the first FDA-cleared, over-the-counter glucose monitoring system for weight management pairs continuous glucose monitoring technology with proprietary AI to deliver personalized guidance. Employers and health plans gain real-time visibility into population outcomes, allowing them to measure ROI daily rather than waiting for annual reports. The results are more than theoretical. They are the first line of defense in understanding real-time employee and whole population health, and then, if needed, guiding them to the correct treatment provider in advance of an acute event. Here’s a real-life example: In Indiana, one employee flagged as “out of range” on Signos’ system was referred to a local hospital, where clinicians discovered he was just weeks away from renal failure. Proactive intervention prevented a costly crisis while safeguarding the employee’s health.
Another solution to consider is rethinking medication strategies such as GLP-1 therapies. These drugs have gained attention for their ability to accelerate weight loss, but the economics are staggering. Employers often spend $18,000 to $24,000 per employee each year on these treatments, only to find that once prescriptions are filled, visibility into adherence and outcomes disappears. Compounding the challenge, most patients regain weight after discontinuing therapy, which could lead to repeated cycles of costly coverage. The opportunity for employers is to be more strategic about who is eligible to take GLP-1s and then provide those employees with behavioral therapy and sustainable off-ramps to maintain progress after therapy.
Building a Sustainable Path Forward
A third solution is embracing scalable, non-pharmacological tools that complement existing benefits programs. Too often, wellness initiatives focus on narrow subsets of employees—either those already diagnosed with chronic disease or those actively seeking prevention programs. But the majority of workers fall somewhere in between and are unaware they are trending toward a disease state. By leveraging AI solutions that address the root cause of their metabolic condition, employers can offer support to all employees in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
Finally, organizations must recognize engagement as a critical driver of success. Programs that require heavy integration or complex rollouts often stall before delivering value. Instead, leaders should prioritize solutions that employees adopt naturally and engage with frequently. It’s been shown that high engagement not only accelerates individual progress but also strengthens the return on investment for employers. Signos’ users tend to check the app an average of seven times per day in the first month. The goal is to teach people how to use their own data and employ real-time interventions around microbehavioral change, so it doesn’t feel like a major lifestyle change. For example, after using Signos for a while, a person learns that white rice makes them spike, but if they go for a five minute walk, they can quickly return to a normal range.
The workplace metabolic health crisis will not solve itself. Left unaddressed, it threatens to deepen the cost burden on employers and employees alike, while eroding productivity and well-being. Metabolic health may be a quiet crisis today, but with thoughtful strategy and the right tools, it can become one of the greatest opportunities for employers to improve outcomes, control costs, and create healthier workplaces for the future.
Colin Rogers
Colin Rogers has spent over 25 years redefining how consumers access healthcare. He launched the industry’s first online enrollment platforms for commercial and Medicare payers, work that evolved into Accenture’s first Consumer Health Practice. As an executive at Revolution Health and Extend Health, he built national platforms connecting Fortune 500 employers like Ford and GM to optimized care across 120+ payers. Following Extend’s acquisition by Willis Towers Watson, he scaled solutions across large group and individual markets. Later, as GM of Zenefits’ Benefits business, he focused on small businesses, leading its integration into TriNet. Today, he advises healthcare ventures and leads the Healthcare Practice at Signos.
