Why some employers rather not hire fat people?

Recently, we have been talking about fat people being discriminated against, rather than just talking about losing fats.

I am not trying to be morbid or to stir up anything. But as I work with people trying to lose fats, a lot of these issues keep coming up and I feel we should talk about it rather than avoid it.

The latest topic is about employers who are biased against fat people. I recall one of the stories my friend, who is a Personal Trainer at a popular gym, told me. He was telling me that recently, he noticed quite a few “executive types” coming and signing up for packages at the gym. One of them signed him, and when asked, told my friend the reason he signed up.

Apparently, his boss told him to “shape up or ship out”. Not quite in those curt terms, but the message was clear. It seems that the boss felt his personal grooming carried a negative image for the company. He was to lose his tummy and get fit.

Really, I have nothing against getting fit. But the idea that it becomes an ultimatum for keeping your job? That is sad.

I wonder how many others have had similar experiences?

For myself, I practice brisk walking on a regular basis and take some fat blockers. I admit to not being a very physical person, and I would take all the help I can get.

Of course, we have to hear both sides of the story and I did ask a few employers and managers. Their response, as expected, was denial. But they do concede that they can empathize with those employers. Imagine if your sales people went out to see clients looking sloppy, what message would that convey to them? Now, if you were in some kind of health care, or one of those “look good-feel good” industry, and your sales or any of your staff looked clearly over-weight, what does that do for your corporate image? Even if they dressed well and presented themselves well, the message would be a direct opposite from the products/services that the company is trying to promote.

Now, I agree that in some cases, some level of discrimination is needed. Not necessarily approved, but being commercially driven, not much choices for the company.

We live with all kinds of social discrimination. Discriminating against fat people is not the worse, but it is prevalent. When you want to discriminate, then think about this – when YOU get pass forty years, and your metabolism starts to slow, and before you realize it enough to make adjustments to your lifestyle and diet, you stand a very high chance of being fat.

Next week onwards, I will start talking about some fun exercises that I have enjoyed over the years.