Colleague bringing scales to office - weighing others.

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I work in an office with around 20 other people. A colleague has started bringing in scales so that he and others can weigh themselves in front of others.

Everyone stands in a circle around the scales and watches while they take it in turns to weigh themselves.

So far I have managed to avoid being asked to weigh myself in front of the others, perhaps because I am overweight.

Management don't seem bothered and are even joining in with the weighing.

Not really sure why posting, just wanted to hear what others think.

People won't be allowed to breathe soon for fear of offending someone else.

Don't the RF do this at Christmas too?
Can't remember if it was in The Crown, or if I read it somewhere?

This is so wildly inappropriate for the office, I'm so glad I've never worked anywhere that did this sort of shit.

I've never had an ED and am happy with my fitness levels but surely it's obvious that a lot of people have a variety of issues around things like weight and eating and as such it's simply an awful, thoughtless idea to bring this stuff into a working space where everyone should feel comfortable. No way would this fly anywhere I've worked.

I also feel that I want to keep my exercise goals and activities firmly separate from my work life.

And scales FFS! Surely we have got beyond weight loss as a sole meaningful measure of fitness.

I didn't know if the RF did it?
There is a book that is recorded in and then compared to last year. My DC didn't want to (and I didn't want them to) partake, esp during puberty but thankfully I think the tradition has ended, it hasn't happened for a few years

Do they not have work to do?

This.

Also, posters saying this is "bizarre" and "weird" - it really isn't. Many of us have worked in offices where this type of thing goes on, in my experience more often where there are more female employees than male. They're just supporting each other in fitness / weightloss goals as we head towards summer. So what. There's an obesity crisis and there's nothing wrong with colleagues supporting each other to be healthier. You aren't being pressured to join in so what's your problem?

In a previous job a colleague brought a blood pressure monitor in and encouraged people to have their BP checked. I thought it was totally inappropriate. I declined the offer but it made me really uncomfortable because I was overweight and I thought (rightly or wrongly) that everyone would be thinking that I, of all people, should be checking my BP.

One colleague got a very high reading and then worried herself stupid, partly fuelled by various people fussing over her. When her GP checked it afterwards it was fine.

This sort of stuff should not be going on in a workplace.

It was a thing in one of my jobs for people who joined slimming world or something like this (who lost the most won money that month). But they didn't ask others to do it. How odd.

I would not personally consider this a big issue but in the workplace the priority should be ensuring everyone feels comfortable, and not targeted or othered.

I would just know better and wouldn't be doing this in the office. Even if you aren't overweight or are overweight and confident, it's well know weight especially for women is an emotive and stigmatising issue.

I was going to say given the current levels of obesity in the UK and the amount the NHS spends on obesity related health issues (£6.5 billion) it might be a good thing to weigh yourself in the office. But then I checked eating disorder spending and its around £9 billion so maybe don't then 😕

No need to ‘avoid’ just tell them you’re not doing it!

I feel fortunate that when I've worked with other women we've had more meetings about how to tackle structural sexism in our industry and career/networking advice rather than our fucking "weightloss goals". It would feel so inappropriate to even bring that up to women I work with professionally - as though the thing we should really be bonding over is how toned our bodies should be in the summer?

And I think we're all familiar with the subtle social pressure of "no one's forcing you to join in so what's the problem" as 90% of the office do a particular activity.

Bizarre and completely inappropriate for the work place! I would just ignore it.

I don’t think this is an issue, let them crack on is the accountability is helping them get healthy.
Just ignore it, there’s all sorts of stuff I ignore when I’m working in a communal office.

If I said I wanted to know my weight but had no scales and a workmate brought scales in to be helpful then OK. But if a workmate just randomly brought them in for everyone to weigh themselves I'd pretend to be very busy. I'm not overweight but who wants workmates knowing your weight? They would not know what the right weight is for my height; what sense would it even make to compare? And if there were overweight people looking uncomfortable it would be massively awkward.
If I was management I'd tell them to get back to work and not bring it in again, as it would just encourage exclusion, cliques and workplace discontent.

@Architectahoynow that’s more my sort of office!!

in my experience more often where there are more female employees than male

In my experience it was mainly men! 😁

Suggest a place they can do this away from your desk/sight.

It is absolutely bizarre and it would make me feel incredibly uncomfortable if this was happening in my workplace.

What?! That’s utterly bizarre - I can’t believe the number of people shrugging it off or suggesting it happens in their workplaces too. Can’t even imagine how it would be suggested, or how it could possibly be permitted. Just so inappropriate on every level…really can’t get my head around it.

Do you work on zany 90s Channel 4 show TFI Friday? Absolutely bananas behaviour for a regular boring old office

So just say no! I mean how ridiculous, but if they want to do it nothing to do with you.

I can't believe you are so blase about that poor woman having to absent herself from her workplace because of the effect your behaviour had on her tbh.

This is bizarre.

i would consider contacting HR about it.

No. That’s abnormal behaviour.