Discrimination of the Overweight at Work... does it REALLY exist? (employees, apply)

[gobigred]

Are overweight employees disciminated against at your workplace? Is is blatant or subtle discrimination? Have you personally ever been the victim of discrimination due to being overweight or to your looks in general? Have you ever been looked over for promotions, team leads, etc., because you are overweight?

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by gobigred

Are overweight employees disciminated against at your workplace? Is is blatant or subtle discrimination? Have you personally ever been the victim of discrimination due to being overweight or to your looks in general? Have you ever been looked over for promotions, team leads, etc., because you are overweight?

40% of sd county workers are morbidly obese. lets see, if they encourage you to lose weight and be healthy are they guilty of discrimination under the EEOC regs? no. it is not so.
if you are short tall fat skinny that is not an identified group and you do not have civil law protection. so to answer your question are overweight people discriminated againt in my work place. no, by legal definition. is trying to improve your health and thus lower insurance cost a form of discrimination.
no. are they mean to overweight people, no.

stephen s
san diego ca

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by gobigred

Are overweight employees disciminated against at your workplace? Is is blatant or subtle discrimination? Have you personally ever been the victim of discrimination due to being overweight or to your looks in general? Have you ever been looked over for promotions, team leads, etc., because you are overweight?

Yes, it exists. Just look at the board of directors of any company; you're unlikely to see any obese people at all. Then look at the lowest level of the org chart...that's where you'll see the obese/overweight people.

There's no question; fat people are discriminated against. In fact it's one of the only groups of people with basically no legal protection from discrimination. It's pretty horrible to have all that on TOP of being fat, which is pretty horrible anyway.

[ogplife]

I think good people with any noticeable flaw is at a great disadvantange. If I had a fight tomorrow and got a nasty scar on my face I think my jobs would be limited. If my teeth were jacked up some story. Do you think you will ever see a CEO with a tatoo on his neck? Doubt it. I don't think being great looking gets you a job, but a "major" flaw will deny you.

[yellowsnow]

Yes, it absolutely for certain does exist. I used to be heavy and it happened to me. More than once.

[GypsySoul22]

Well, yes, I think it does and it's not very professional to paint everyone with one brush. Fat doesn't always equal lazy and inefficient.

If a person is neat, clean and put together, why should it matter? Are you a few pounds overweight yet performing or someone 200lbs who uses it as an excuse to goof off?

Again, mostly it will be women who are scorned for being 'heavy'--men prefer you to be eye candy rather than do the job. (see how far we have come?)

[Setsunna]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

Yes, it exists. Just look at the board of directors of any company; you're unlikely to see any obese people at all. Then look at the lowest level of the org chart...that's where you'll see the obese/overweight people.

This is how I see it: most non-obese people, providing that they also "look good", have good self esteems. I think self esteem takes you places, and enables you to take risks and therefore get further than people with lower self esteems.

It has been said that obese/overweight people often have low self esteem and I believe that this reason may cause them to shun from certain opportunies in life, and in the workplace, simply because of how they feel about themselves.

Although I feel that some discrimination is to blame in some cases, I think that the person is responsible for where they are in the workplace. As long as you want it, and can do it, you will get it. Period.

As for answering the original question, as far as my job goes, weight-related discrimination doesn't seem to be a problem. I work at a pharmaceutical plant and we have a mix of overweight/ average weight employees in a variety of positions. There are overweight people with high positions, in their own offices in fact, as opposed to their "skinnier" co-workers. And one woman here was overweight with her rather good position in the regulatory affairs department, but recently she has been promoted and is now starting to losing weight.....

That's my 2¢.

Setsunna.

[Elvira Black]

Nowadays there can be indirect discrimination. Some employers now provide incentives for losing weight, quitting smoking etc because of the higher insurance costs and/or sick time resulting from "bad habits." Or maybe I should say, disincentives for those who don't "get with the program." It's a very sticky situation right now.

[gobigred]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

Yes, it absolutely for certain does exist. I used to be heavy and it happened to me. More than once.

When you lost weight, did the reverse happen? I mean, did the discrimination stop?

[gobigred]

Originally Posted by Setsunna

This is how I see it: most non-obese people, providing that they also "look good", have good self esteems. I think self esteem takes you places, and enables you to take risks and therefore get further than people with lower self esteems.

It has been said that obese/overweight people often have low self esteem and I believe that this reason may cause them to shun from certain opportunies in life, and in the workplace, simply because of how they feel about themselves.

Although I feel that some discrimination is to blame in some cases, I think that the person is responsible for where they are in the workplace. As long as you want it, and can do it, you will get it. Period.

As for answering the original question, as far as my job goes, weight-related discrimination doesn't seem to be a problem. I work at a pharmaceutical plant and we have a mix of overweight/ average weight employees in a variety of positions. There are overweight people with high positions, in their own offices in fact, as opposed to their "skinnier" co-workers. And one woman here was overweight with her rather good position in the regulatory affairs department, but recently she has been promoted and is now starting to losing weight.....

That's my 2¢.

Setsunna.

I agree with most of what you wrote except for the part about if you want it and can do it you will get it. Not so where I work. I have seen slightly overweight people who are well-qualified and degreed to the hilt apply for jobs in high profile departments such as recruiting and human resources but were denied due to "an unprofessional image". These individuals were neat and clean with manicured nails, $500 suits, and "money bags" hair (meaning they spent a fortune on foils and cuts) and were still overlooked because of an extra 30 - 40 pounds. I don't get it.