Earlier quoted context omitted.
You could claim you were on a treadmill
Right, in the middle of a Harbin restaurant where a bunch of other people like to also seem to like "running on the treadmill".
Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
21–30 of 215 posts
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#22Maybe if you're smart enough to do that, you're smart enough to care about your health in other ways and thus you should still fit into the price model that the insurance company uses ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Besides, who says the users of this are smart? They're just at a bar that offers that service.
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#23I wonder how many people use stuff like this to cheat the system? I remember seeing someone on reddit bragging about attaching their Fitbit to a reciprocating saw to get more steps than his wife. I couldn't figure out why it was that important, but with insurance discounts, I can definitely see the financial incentives.
We'd go through logs and see people sequentially logging for each day, one team member after another, on the last day of the competition.
You'd also find people scrutinizing the accuracy of any reporting we did as a company - some very odd bugs were found by companies with participants armed with Excel and too much time on their hands.
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
A lot. I'd be surprised if any Business Management 101 class didn't teach that if there is a reward involved, people will maximize for whatever critera you measure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect The term cobra effect originated in an anecdote set at the time of British rule of colonial India. The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes in Delhi.[3] The government therefore offered bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterpr…
I'm curious because if everybody disliked wild cobras loose in the city I'd have expected the breeders to kill their stock when the bounty ended, not free it.
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#25Wellness programs and similar initiatives are so repellent to me that I'm pretty sympathetic to everyone fooling them.
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#26I wonder how many people use stuff like this to cheat the system? I remember seeing someone on reddit bragging about attaching their Fitbit to a reciprocating saw to get more steps than his wife. I couldn't figure out why it was that important, but with insurance discounts, I can definitely see the financial incentives.
A lot. I'd be surprised if any Business Management 101 class didn't teach that if there is a reward involved, people will maximize for whatever critera you measure.
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#27Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#28At night I would open the software, wrap my mouse cord around an oscillating desk fan, then go to bed. Earned myself $50/month
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#29Wellness programs and similar initiatives are so repellent to me that I'm pretty sympathetic to everyone fooling them.
Why?
Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m on Medicare in Australia (so universal healthcare mostly funded by 2% of all taxable income that came in real handy for me last year) and I have an incentive to walk 10,000 steps every morning. A coffee with artificial sweetener from 7 Eleven will do it. And I aim to listen to good podcasts or the like while I do. I wouldn’t do it otherwise. Even the flimsiest of pretenses will do it.
You are in aussie and drink 7/11 coffee by choice? Turn in your Australia card mate...