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Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,930,296 times
Reputation: 9885
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Personally, I think it's ridiculous to not hire someone based on appearance. I don't think a thinner person is inherently a better worker or more qualified than a heavier or obese worker. Quite frankly, I don't care what my healthcare workers look like as long as they help me.
However...hiring managers hire whomever they want for whatever ridiculous reason they want. I once got a job b/c I'm left-handed. I got another job because I reminded the interview of his daughter. We're being judged all the time by everybody.
IMO, the problem with this hospital isn't that they are discriminating against the obese, it's that they admitted it.
Personally, I think it's ridiculous to not hire someone based on appearance. I don't think a thinner person is inherently a better worker or more qualified than a heavier or obese worker. Quite frankly, I don't care what my healthcare workers look like as long as they help me.
However...hiring managers hire whomever they want for whatever ridiculous reason they want. I once got a job b/c I'm left-handed. I got another job because I reminded the interview of his daughter. We're being judged all the time by everybody.
IMO, the problem with this hospital isn't that they are discriminating against the obese, it's that they admitted it.
Obese employees can potentially increase insurance premiums for the employer. This would not be a problem if the link between employer and health insurance was no longer.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,930,296 times
Reputation: 9885
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBest
Obese employees can potentially increase insurance premiums for the employer. This would not be a problem if the link between employer and health insurance was no longer.
Maybe, but so do people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other issues that you can't see. Heck, women of child-bearing age drive up insurance premiums.
Should be based on passing a physical, not just a BMI calculation. I could also see maybe some kind of strong encouragement to participate in some kind of diet/exercise plan.
The BMI charts are pretty unforgiving, and people do not actually have to be that heavy to be considered "obese."
If you read the article, you would see they -do- give strong encouragement. Their idea of strong encouragement is:
"Yes, you are highly qualified, and if it weren't for your *significant* obesity issue, you'd have the job. So here's what we'll do. We will HELP YOU lose the weight. If you can get your weight down - we don't expect you to be thin - but you're 80 pounds overweight. If we can get you to lose even 40 of those pounds, we will hire you. We'll reserve the job for you for a few months, and enroll you in our weight loss program at no cost to yourself. So you are hired, on the condition that you lose 40 pounds."
That isn't a quote, but that is basically how they "encourage" people to lose the weight. And if that isn't encouragement enough, I don't know what is.
Maybe, but so do people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other issues that you can't see. Heck, women of child-bearing age drive up insurance premiums.
I just wonder if they are hiring smokers.
Obesity drives up the risk for all of those things: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other issues you can't see.
The #1 common cause of all these things combined - is obesity.
But that's not why they're not hiring the significantly obese. They're hiring the significantly obese, because *their patients* in *their hospital* have indicated a slower healing progression when their caregivers are significantly obese. And since their #1 priority is their patients, they are doing what is in the best interest of their patents. And that is getting them to a point where they're healthy enough to leave.
If you read the article, you would see they -do- give strong encouragement. Their idea of strong encouragement is:
"Yes, you are highly qualified, and if it weren't for your *significant* obesity issue, you'd have the job. So here's what we'll do. We will HELP YOU lose the weight. If you can get your weight down - we don't expect you to be thin - but you're 80 pounds overweight. If we can get you to lose even 40 of those pounds, we will hire you. We'll reserve the job for you for a few months, and enroll you in our weight loss program at no cost to yourself. So you are hired, on the condition that you lose 40 pounds."
That isn't a quote, but that is basically how they "encourage" people to lose the weight. And if that isn't encouragement enough, I don't know what is.
No kidding-- it is BEYOND encouraging.
Although some people will never be able to take them up on it.
I do believe food is an addiction for folks. I know how hard it was for me to give up overeating, lack of exercise, and fat/sugar/salty based foods. Now that I have given up that kind of diet it is amazing what tastes really good to me.
I LOVE eating fruit, I love eating vegetables with some humus dip, etc. I am a vegetarian today although will eat fish on a rare occasion. The idea of eating things I used to eat is gross, but the taste is far worse.
The reality is that there are folks facing MAJOR medical issues-- who still will not do anything about their weight because of their addiction and lack of will to really try and change their issues.
Obese employees can potentially increase insurance premiums for the employer. This would not be a problem if the link between employer and health insurance was no longer.
Exactly. That's why things are going so well up in Canada - as companies don't need to worry about the health of their employees, it's no burden on them. And Canadians have better health than us Americans, as everyone has comprehensive health cover. All in all, a great system to have.
Exactly. That's why things are going so well up in Canada - as companies don't need to worry about the health of their employees, it's no burden on them. And Canadians have better health than us Americans, as everyone has comprehensive health cover. All in all, a great system to have.
I do believe that business should not have the burden of trying to provide health care for citizens.
Since I work in global employment now as a project manager-- I can tell you that even though a good chunk of countries have universal health coverage-- most companies will still provide a health care insurance package above the universal coverage to attract employees. Some countries have decent health care coverage, some do not. One service we provide to our clients is consultative to explain where and when it makes sense for a company to offer above the universal health care coverage provided by the state. Some places it does not make sense (Brazil is an example) and other places white collar employees will EXPECT something above and beyond what is standard so that they have more options for their families, for themselves if they were to become a patient.
The reality is that health care is not free whether it is universal or whether it is provided by industry. Not everything you want will be covered under the sun-- or it will be covered in a manner that is not necessarily the patient's preferred.
However, I do think there should be a base level of care in the USA-- then companies should feel free to offer things above and beyond as part of their incentive packages to attract the types of employees they wish to retain and attain.
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You look great!
