Height & Weight

wontfallforit

(By the way, just wanted to let you all know that I'm not a skinny minne myself! I'm not fat, but I'm hardly a bag of bones. So this isn't me picking on heavier people...this is not aimed at the OP either)

I think being excessively fat for no particular medical reason is unattractive for employers, and not just in the physical sense (though whether or not they can/should ask about it in advance is another matter).

Being very fat (and I mean like 5st+ overweight, not just carrying a few extra pounds) for no real reason (i.e. you simply eat too much and do too little exercise) exposes an undesirable character trait to employers. It demonstrates that you're willingly deteriorating your own health, and are failing to make even the simplest steps towards rectifying it.

What does that say about how you will go about your work? Of course, it isn't a hard and fast rule - many obese people do a fantastic job, whereas many skinny people do an awful job. It's just a quick, dirty, and quite unethical way of weeding out potential no-nos.

And, like some people have noted, there's the ergonomic issue. If you have no medical conditions that are making you fat, why should your employer invest in heavy-duty office equipment, when you can simply choose to eat a few more salads? Why should employers have to worry about you taking time off work with obesity-related illnesses, either now or way in the future?

(for the record, I think people with extremely low BMIs should also be called into question for it, again if there's no real medical explanation).

Like I said, I'm not sure if it's legal - and it's certainly unethical - but I can understand why it might be asked. Perhaps it should be left until the interviewing stage, though, if they're really determined to go down that dodgy route.

bettybelle

So when are employers going to start finding out how much someone smokes/drinks and grilling them about that at selection stage..i.e they could need time off in the future when their lungs or liver fail. They might not fail, but then being obese is the same - your chances of getting ill are increased but it still only might happen, not a given.
Seems unfair just because weight is something that can be seen.

I think this bias is disgusting from some people here. Just because someone is overweight/obese does not mean they can't do the job. I myself am overweight and I worked at a job where I had an excellent attendance record and was considered a valued staff member whilst my normal weight colleague had a drink/drugs problem and was constantly off or else in work with a hangover/comedown doing nothing.

And no, my weight problem isn't due to eating too much and exercising too little. It's medical but I am doing my best to work on it. I have good blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

It's so easy for people to sit in judgement to fat people. For some super-obese people their problem is almost anorexia in reverse. But do they get sympathy and understanding? No, they are treated as scum. Being overweight can be sympomatic to a mental illness or a physical one.

But until society's disgusting attitude changes and they stop sneering at overweight people, nothing will change.

Pete111

bettybelle wrote: »

So when are employers going to start finding out how much someone smokes/drinks and grilling them about that at selection stage..i.e they could need time off in the future when their lungs or liver fail. They might not fail, but then being obese is the same - your chances of getting ill are increased but it still only might happen, not a given.
Seems unfair just because weight is something that can be seen.

I think this bias is disgusting from some people here. Just because someone is overweight/obese does not mean they can't do the job. I myself am overweight and I worked at a job where I had an excellent attendance record and was considered a valued staff member whilst my normal weight colleague had a drink/drugs problem and was constantly off or else in work with a hangover/comedown doing nothing.

And no, my weight problem isn't due to eating too much and exercising too little. It's medical but I am doing my best to work on it. I have good blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

It's so easy for people to sit in judgement to fat people. For some super-obese people their problem is almost anorexia in reverse. But do they get sympathy and understanding? No, they are treated as scum. Being overweight can be sympomatic to a mental illness or a physical one.

But until society's disgusting attitude changes and they stop sneering at overweight people, nothing will change.

Sorry to hear about your condition Bettybelle.

Medical reasons aside however there are an awful lot of people these days simply eating themselves into an early grave and it is an issue that does need tackling.

It's quite sad actually beacuse you just know that many do not enjoy being overweight at all but I don't think that gluttony and sloth should be classed as an illness. For the majority of overweight people the simple fact is they need to eat less and move around more.

Anyway to go back to the original question, It is unusual to ask for this info on an application but it is not illegal to do so. However, you could leave this blank or even lie if you felt it could be held against you. That said, if the employer wants to avoid obese employees, they will find another reason not to give them the job should they get to interview - sad but true..

P

Boozer

Well my take on it is the following:

I would rather know in advance if i have anything which is going to stop me from getting the job, i know this from experience, i applied to join the RAF when i was 16/17, went through a few things and then did not do so well on the test to go in at the position i wanted, so my plan was now to go and get an HND in electronics and apply again after the course (3 years including NC), i then flew through the test and interview and was told i could now go in at the position i wanted, only to have a medical in aberdeen followed by a follow up one in london, i failed and they would not let me in due to psiorisis(SP), i thought my life was over as it was all i had planned on doing for many years, now had there been a questionnaire asking about this when i originally went, i would have set my life on a different path.

So i do not really care what the law says, if you pass the interview you will most likely get a medical where all this info will come out anyway, if you have nothing to hide i would not let it worry you.

bendix

For the record, there is nothing in employment law which prevents a company from asking such questions. They are simply gathering information.

There are,of course, laws against using said information to not hire someone, but proving that it was weight or race or something that prevented a job being offered is a completely different issue.

onlyforboards_2

bendix wrote: »

For the record, there is nothing in employment law which prevents a company from asking such questions. They are simply gathering information.

There are,of course, laws against using said information to not hire someone, but proving that it was weight or race or something that prevented a job being offered is a completely different issue.

And equally you wouldn't have to complete that part of the application.

456789

bettybelle wrote: »

So when are employers going to start finding out how much someone smokes/drinks

the application form I am talking about asked that too!

bettybelle

456789 wrote: »

the application form I am talking about asked that too!

haha, well at least they're covering all bases!

biggaz26

bettybelle wrote: »

So when are employers going to start finding out how much someone smokes/drinks and grilling them about that at selection stage..i.e they could need time off in the future when their lungs or liver fail. They might not fail, but then being obese is the same - your chances of getting ill are increased but it still only might happen, not a given.
Seems unfair just because weight is something that can be seen.

I think this bias is disgusting from some people here. Just because someone is overweight/obese does not mean they can't do the job. I myself am overweight and I worked at a job where I had an excellent attendance record and was considered a valued staff member whilst my normal weight colleague had a drink/drugs problem and was constantly off or else in work with a hangover/comedown doing nothing.

And no, my weight problem isn't due to eating too much and exercising too little. It's medical but I am doing my best to work on it. I have good blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

It's so easy for people to sit in judgement to fat people. For some super-obese people their problem is almost anorexia in reverse. But do they get sympathy and understanding? No, they are treated as scum. Being overweight can be sympomatic to a mental illness or a physical one.

But until society's disgusting attitude changes and they stop sneering at overweight people, nothing will change.

Let me start by saying I am 20 stone and as a result a good 4 stone over weight. Although I am active a fitter than most 20 stoners I am still obese.

However, where obisity is NOT a medical issue the attitude above is a dangerous one. We should not feel sorry for those who self harm by eating themselves to an early grave. I society made these things as unacceptable and drug abuse and smoking there would be a lot more money to go round on the NHS. I am not going to get a gastric band operation on the NHS even if I could as I am not ill im just fat. Ill go on a diet and lose soem weight like ive done time and time again.

I just wish that people would stop calling every little thing a disability and accept that those who are obese (not via medical issues) are the same as people who self harm by cutting themselves.

Lazyness and greediness are not medical issues. Although they are fast becoming national issues due to to the money they cost this country.

G

Pete111

onlyforboards wrote: »

And equally you wouldn't have to complete that part of the application.

Thus potentially having your application binned for non completion....