Get Healthy -- voluntarily

Yes, you can refuse to comment.

Journal Sentinel employees recently received letters at home encouraging us to go online for a "Get Healthy" survey to assess our health. Those who did so found a lengthy and detailed questionnaire asking just about everything imaginable about our medical history. That led some members of our bargaining unit to wonder whether filling out the survey was mandatory and what the company might do with the information.

Managers have assured Guild representatives that the survey is completely voluntary. They also promise that no one from Journal Sentinel Inc. will ever see the information, which will be kept confidential by the company running the survey. Those who fill out the survey will be given a numerical score to show how they rate for health risks and will receive e-mail tips about how to improve their health.

And if that answer lowers your blood pressure, your score should improve.