| Obese people discriminated against at workplace |
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In a survey carried out by the magazine Personnel Today of 2,000 personnel officers, 93 percent said they would opt for an applicant of "normal weight" over an obese applicant having the same experience and qualifications. Half of them felt that obesity affected productivity. Again 50 per cent felt that overweight people were lacking in self-discipline.
Karen Dempsey, editor of the magazine, said this suggested hidden discrimination against overweight people. Highlighting a social problem, she added: "To date, obesity has not been given the same recognition as sex, age, disabilities and race discrimination. But as our survey shows, overweight workers are being marginalised and given fewer opportunities than their slimmer counterparts."
The survey also found that 10 per cent of personnel officers would be averse to the idea of an overweight employee meeting a client. Overweight workers are also passed over for promotions and more prone to loose their jobs, the report said. The study also shows that 10 per cent would fire a person for obesity, which is a violation of British labor law.
According to the last survey of obesity carried out by the UK's National Audit Office, one in five English adults is obese and the number has grown threefold in the twenty years leading up to 2001.
Ms Dempsey emphasized that a "clearer definition of obesity" was needed. It would help businesses in finding out as to how it "truly affects” performance at workplace, she added.
There was little protection for overweight employees, according to Daniel Thomas, Personnel Today’s deputy editor. He added: "There's no such thing as fattism yet.....but if an obese person can prove they're actually disabled - so for example they've got dyslexia or they're depressed - then they can take that to an employment tribunal."
Posted
on : Wed, 26 Oct 2005 19:20 GMT | General News
By : Paula Jenkins
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