Are Thin People More Likely To Get Jobs Than Fat People?
Apparently, fat people find it harder to get jobs and promotion than thin people, an online British survey revealed yesterday.
This poll was taken from 2000 human resources managers, half of whom, believed that weight issues affected productivity. The same number thought that bigger people lacked discipline.
Also, according to the survey:
“More than 90 per cent of bosses admit that when they get an overweight and a slim candidate of the same ability, they are more likely to hire the worker of "normal" size.”
Now, I can probably understand this discrimination for a physical role, but I’m not sure what difference it makes if you’re going for a job as a secretary or an accountant.
The survey also revealed that:
“One in 10 would not want a large employee to meet a client and the same percentage believed they could give a worker the boot just for being obese.”
WTF?
Yahoo also has a message board that was set up specifically to discuss the survey’s findings. These are some of the more notable comments:
“overweight people are likely to suffer more health problems; that they are less likely to have stamina for arduous work; that they will be less able to perform physical tasks.”
“They may also be thought to be less intelligent than slimmer people; that they may sweat more profusely and cause offence to the (paying) public.”
“They look less attractive (and thus lose business); and they will downgrade a company's public image.”
The reason that this discrimination even exists is because of the ridiculous ideals that we are constantly barraged with, so I’m not really surprised that employees and other people feel this way.
It seems a shame that once again, people are being judged on their external appearance, rather than their internal qualities, but until the ‘thin-equals-beautiful’ media-led propoganda that is continuously waged before our very eyes ceases, then I’m afraid that the status quo will stay as is.
This is obviously a British survey, but I wonder if the answers would have been any different in the States?
Full results:
www.personneltoday.com
Other related articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4373746.stm
This poll was taken from 2000 human resources managers, half of whom, believed that weight issues affected productivity. The same number thought that bigger people lacked discipline.
Also, according to the survey:
“More than 90 per cent of bosses admit that when they get an overweight and a slim candidate of the same ability, they are more likely to hire the worker of "normal" size.”
Now, I can probably understand this discrimination for a physical role, but I’m not sure what difference it makes if you’re going for a job as a secretary or an accountant.
The survey also revealed that:
“One in 10 would not want a large employee to meet a client and the same percentage believed they could give a worker the boot just for being obese.”
WTF?
Yahoo also has a message board that was set up specifically to discuss the survey’s findings. These are some of the more notable comments:
“overweight people are likely to suffer more health problems; that they are less likely to have stamina for arduous work; that they will be less able to perform physical tasks.”
“They may also be thought to be less intelligent than slimmer people; that they may sweat more profusely and cause offence to the (paying) public.”
“They look less attractive (and thus lose business); and they will downgrade a company's public image.”
The reason that this discrimination even exists is because of the ridiculous ideals that we are constantly barraged with, so I’m not really surprised that employees and other people feel this way.
It seems a shame that once again, people are being judged on their external appearance, rather than their internal qualities, but until the ‘thin-equals-beautiful’ media-led propoganda that is continuously waged before our very eyes ceases, then I’m afraid that the status quo will stay as is.
This is obviously a British survey, but I wonder if the answers would have been any different in the States?
Full results:
www.personneltoday.com
Other related articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4373746.stm
posted by Karen Scott at
4:40 pm
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