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Among the many health challenges facing employees, obesity “costs the global economy $2 trillion a year,” according to a new report from consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Further, reports Business Insurance, “in a separate study published in November in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers at Yale University said obesity-related work absences alone cost the U.S. economy $8.65 billion a year — a figure that the researchers and the Integrated Benefits Institute said is increasing with the number of obese adults.”

The result: “Rising obesity-related health care costs are leading some employers to take a firmer approach to workplace wellness programs despite the potential to violate anti-discrimination laws.”

Said one senior manager of employee services in Texas: Employers “are going ahead and taking more aggressive action, and not taking the wait-and-see approach. Compared to where it was five years ago, there are a lot more employers doing outcomes-based wellness incentives and also investing in wellness programs in general.”

The piece also notes that one chief operating officer at workers compensation defense law firm indicated that “aside from standard health care, the return on investment in wellness programs also can be seen in disability and workers comp programs.”