A few weeks ago, I mentioned a television program that aired on CNBC that featured a company which helps its overweight employees lose weight. Many readers expressed their opinion on whether or not companies should get involved with their employees' weight issues.
There is a related issue I want to hear from you on: In the same program, a supervisor admitted that, "If I could get away with it," he would not hire obese employees. The phrase "makes my blood boil" springs to mind.
Then, I recently read this article about bias against the overweight in the job market. A diversity consultant in the article is quoted as saying: "[The obese] are perceived as undisciplined, sloppy, slow moving and slow thinking ..." and that really hit home for me. I am anything but those things, but could I have been perceived that way?
I have to wonder: Those jobs I didn't get when I was at my highest weight ... could my dress size have been to blame rather than the availability of a more qualified candidate? I shudder to think.
What do you think on the matter? Do you think that workplace bias against the obese is strong enough to keep us from getting work?
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i work at a gym and was flat out told that i wasn’t given personal training clients because i’m overweight. nevermind that i have more experience and the same exact education. i’m overweight, so my ability means nothing?
I love the idea that bigger business are starting to offer gym memberships and things like that to their employees but I don’t think it should be something anyone is ever pressured into. It’s horrible how overweight people are somehow considered unfit for jobs simply because of their size (and even though this might not be the case, that’s how it comes off to me!) I’m overweight myself and have started a blog detailing what I do daily, and I don’t think that I would have such a big desire to lose weight except for the fact that I know I have been denied jobs due to the idea that I’m “bigger” than the other applicants. It’s simply horrible.
♥ Jessica ♥
I have seen it in the corporate environment for years. I often felt that I was a ‘token’ overweight employee, just to show that the company did ‘not’ discriminate…but they did. I lucked out with a hiring manager more interested in my experience and what I could do for the company (and I did an excellent job-made him look VERY brilliant for hiring me!) But others in the company would never have hired me, simply because I did not fit their ‘vision’ of how their employees should look. Now I find it even more difficult as an over-40 being interviewed by 20-somethings who have no clue… Overweight is the last bias that is allowed. I find this so crazy since the majority of Americans are overweight (!) and the average woman is a size 14-16. Bringing it up, talking about it, lifting the rock of discrimination will hopefully enlighten and allow people to evaluate a person on ALL aspects- not just their weight.
A size 14 – 16 is NOT overweight but obese people are likely to be unhealthy and therefore not work as well or have more time off than fitter people.
I have no experience of obesity discriminating against employing someone but if it were I’d have sympathy with the employer, everything else being equal.