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.

Someone in my office ran a weigh in club, you paid £1 and got weighed each week and people used it as motivation to lose weight. The money went to a charity she was well known for supporting. There was no pressure and it was done in a side room. I enjoyed the irony that she also brought in sweets and chocolate and ran what was essentially a tuck shop as well (also for charity). There was no pressure to join in.

Good for you. Every workplace is different. If you and your colleagues like discuss "structural sexism in the industry" crack on. Some women want to discussing weight loss and fitness and that's their prerogative - they don't need permission from you or any other woman to do so.

that's up to them. The only answer anyone would get if they wanted me to join in is "get to fuck with that"

As someone further up said - who is taking responsibility at all these unofficial weigh-ins at work of making sure there isn't a colleague joining in who actually really doesn't need to lose more weight? Because everyone 'motivating' each other and 'spurring each other on' is all well and good if everyone involved is overweight. But is anyone looking out to make sure someone already underweight isn't participating and being 'motivated' and 'spurred on' to lose more weight?

I'd just tell them to piss off with their passive aggressive weigh ins in front of you... they are probably not PA, but it might make them think of how it can appear to be bullish to some.

I don't think aggression is the way to handle perceived passive aggression.

I'm also not sure how you're getting passive aggression from what they're doing.

If you find this sort of thing triggering or upsetting then that's the kind of thing you need to deal with yourself and not expect everyone else to tiptoe around you. They're not pestering you to join in or making horrible comments to you, they're apparently minding their own business in their own group.

What? I just said she went and made a brew, what's blase about that?

I worked with her for 6 years and had no idea what the effect was of us doing a weigh in almost 50m away from her desk, or why she did it, impressive you seem to know from one post 😬

Exactly.

Why? It has nothing to do with their job and isn't what you would expect to be happening in any normal workplace. The least they can do is find a meeting room or store cupboard if they insist on competitively weighing themselves at the office.

I am speechless that anyone thinks this is OK. I’ve worked in offices for decades and have never heard of such a thing. I’m slim and fit but would never take part in this. If people want to start a slimming group and book a private meeting room and do it in their lunch break, all well and good. Otherwise, it’s just not on.

Are they by any chance doing the BHF challenge where you have a weekly weigh in and have to pay £1 to the BHF if you haven’t lost at least a pound? Only saying because 2 dds, their partners and sundry friends are all doing it - with a ‘zoom’ weigh in.

They tend to do it during quiet periods or just leave the phones for a while. The chap who started bringing in his scales calls over for people to come and be weighed, and the supervisors also join in.

None of these people have a weight problem, they are all slim.

Did this at my old work. Lost three stone (and then treated lockdown like a year long all inclusive holiday, sigh)

It’s not expecting people to tiptoe around your sensitivities to assume that competitive weigh-ins, or any kind of activity which calls attention to people’s weight or body image, are completely inappropriate at work. I’m happy with my weight and my relationship with food is as untroubled as that of anyone I know, but I find this concept excruciating to even imagine. I’ve never had scales at home because I don’t want to suggest to my daughter that it’s normal to know your weight to the last pound or to attach any importance to it. The idea of people at work encouraging any form of weight comparison is awful.

I am massively overweight and wouldn't join in. I wouldn't stop anyone else from doing so though.
Join in, don't join in, no one is pressuring you!
Big fuss over nothing.

This.

I've never had an eating disorder, although like most women I'm far from immune to body image issues. But I imagine that people struggling with eating disorders or even just severe body image issues already have to work quite hard to deal with everyday scenarios such as restaurants and parties. Assuming you don't actually work in a restaurant, or as a Weight Watchers group leader, or as a tester of bathroom scales, you shouldn't be expected to have to deal with this situation at work.

Exactly. You had no idea what effect you were having on her, and you don't seem to care either.

It would be an enormous coincidence if she just happened to leave her desk every time you started faffing about with your scales wouldn't it. Did it not occur to you that you might be upsetting or triggering her?

As long as they don’t weigh in their birthday suit like me..!

I think I’d just try to ignore it as one of those things I don’t participate in at work. If they asked me, I’d say, “No bloody way!” I can imagine my mum saying something like, “Were you never taught it’s rude to ask someone their age or weight?” But I don’t have an eating disorder nor am I very under- or overweight which I can imagine would make me feel differently about it and I’d possibly dread it.

If it was bothering me that much and if this little ritual didn’t pass, I’d talk to a manager I found most approachable and who I thought would most understand why some might find this uncomfortable. Even if you don’t want to say how it makes you feel, you could suggest we don’t know everyone’s history e.g. if they had an eating disorder in the past. I’d also add though that it’s very common for people to hate getting weighed occasionally at medical appointments even and they are probably dreading being asked to join in.

It’s not tiptoeing around someone to not weigh yourself in the office, a place of work. Unless you work at a scales shop and you’re demonstrating the merchandise, it’s a weird blurring of the private and the professional. They’re not minding their own business: they’re taking part in group weigh-ins at work. It’s about as appropriate as a wet T-shirt competition or the men measuring their willies.

As long as they don’t weigh in their birthday suit like me..!

After your morning poo?

It’s obvious not ‘just a thing to do’ there must be some purpose to this.

GoodChat, you know the drill! 😁

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 no it’s not lol

I think it’s bloody weird but clearly lots of posters disagree!