Written scenario · Ethics, Equity

Step targets

You sit on your company's employee wellness committee.

The insurer has offered a lower premium to every employee who wears an activity tracker, shares the data with HR and hits monthly step targets; under the plan, sugary snacks would also leave the break room. Benedikt, a coworker on the committee, backs it: premiums rose 14 percent this year, and he says a nudge is what many people, himself included, need. Others warn that it hands health data to the employer and that staff with disabilities, night shifts or caregiving duties will miss the targets and effectively pay more. The committee votes Thursday.