Would you hire someone visibly anorexic?

[Ncncncncc]

I’m looking for honest (even if brutal) answers.

There is so much wrong with this thread. You can’t just decide that someone has a medical condition based on how they look and then use that to inform your decision making! Are people really this dumb?

Yes, it’s me.

Struggling to find a new job. Caught sight of myself after leaving an interview this week and wondered.

I have never had time off though.

Yes.

From Gov.UK

An eating disorder is a disability under the Equality Act 2010, and therefore employees with eating disorders have the same rights as anyone else protected under the Act. That means that employers must make reasonable adjustments to enable the person to do their job effectively without doing harm to their wellbeing.

This! And anorexia is a disability, mental health and physical illness, you're opening yourself up for a potential discrimination suit if you're the one doing the hiring. Hard to prove but bad business practice if you're not considering someone with a disability and they have the revenant qualifications and experience.

Here

www.acas.org.uk/what-disability-means-by-law#:~:text=The%20main%20definition%20of%20disability,day%2Dto%2Dday%20activities'

It may surprise some people in this thread to know that people can be what you class as visibly anorexic their whole lives and be in a stable state of their condition.

It may also surprise some to know that a job helps many people with a mental health condition to flourish and recover.

No. Having had an anorexic employee previously the time they needed off was too much to manage. It was also very worrying for other employees who worried about their health and were worried about how they behaved or what they said in case it was triggering.

Sorry cross posted, didn't see your update op x

Okay. Well, as I say, just avoid small businesses. You'll be fine. What kind of jobs are you applying for?

Sorry to hear that @Ncncncncc How underweight are you? Do you look pale/gaunt/ill? Do you seem listless at interviews do you think? I'm so sorry to ask.

Don't let your anorexia stop you from applying for jobs op. We all know that the routine of regular employment in a job we hopefully enjoy is extremely good for mental health. I wouldn't discriminate as an employer, but as small business I don't offer sick leave. Pp have said avoid small businesses, but I think the opposite.

This

Yes.
People can be very thin for multiple reasons. Are you sure she’s anorexic? She could be in recovery, have had cancer, gastrointestinal issues, thyroid etc etc.

You are saying though, that you won’t hire someone on the basis of their appearance. The cause of which it seems you are assuming. That is discrimination.

You have no knowledge of this person's medical history. There's no way to diagnose anorexia just by looking at someone - there's a number of medical conditions that could result in someone being quite underweight. Also you can be overweight and be anorexic, it is a reflection on eating patterns not weight itself.

It depends on if you want to open yourself up to a discrimination lawsuit I guess.

If they answer well in interview and are the best qualified person for the job then they should be hired. End of. If an issue arises after that then you follow hr absence or fitness to practice processes just like you would for any other member of staff who is absent or unwell.

Op if you are the one who is struggling with anorexia then I'd still go for it but make sure that you are getting the right support. Starting any new job can be stressful which might make it harder to manage disordered eating and you want to give yourself the best shot at doing well and making a good impression. I'd also consider how physical the job is and I'd you're going to be able to maintain eating enough to be able to do the job safely as many manual or physical jobs need you to be fit as it keeps you and others on site safe, eg roofing or something manual like that.

I have a relative with Crohns Disease - she is like a stick.

I’m sorry OP. I think the unfortunate takeaway from this thread is you would be wise to target the public sector or employers who otherwise demonstrate a commitment to EDI.

She's just told you it's her. So she very much does know the medical history.

I’m guessing you have good references and a good CV? I don’t see your body weight would be an issue.

Yes, assuming they could do the job. I don’t hire people but if I was in that position I would.

@LiterallyOnFire I was typing while ops post came through.

Someone looking at a person in interview wouldn't know the medical history and that's what I meant by that comment.

Of course. But how could someone prove that it was because of XYZ that they were not taken on? It is all very well having these terms bandied about.

OP if you've never had time off then maybe it's worth making a big deal of that in your next job application. Not sure how you'd word it but slip it in that you've had near perfect attendance for X amount of years. They'll be able to read between the lines. My cousin is a doctor and visibly anorexic and i often wonder what her colleagues and patients think. It's a very hard condition to understand so maybe you just need to be upfront and lay your cards on the table.

I’m guessing you have good references and a good CV? I don’t see your body weight would be an issue.

Even if you don't have those things- even if you've had time away from work due to illness - you can rebuild your CV with volunteering and courses. Just make sure to write your CV in the "skills based" format (Google it) or emphasise skills as much as possible on the application. Public sector suggestion by PP is a very good shout.

I hired a girl once who was skinny, when I interviewed her I had a gut instinct that she wasn’t OK - she had this attitude about her. I couldn’t put my finger on it - but she ticked the boxes in her interview. My co-founder loved her as she was knowledgable. We hired her. She was a character and great fun! She worked with us for 2 years. Her work started to slack and she lost lots of weight. She opened up to us and said she has cronic depression which she had been dealing with since she was a teen and it causes her not to eat. She stopped coming into work and when I caught up with her she said that her friends have commented on how visible skinny she now is. We gave her a break but she didn’t get better.

Would I hire her again - yes! She was amazing when she was well. We constantly talk about how much we miss her. She still keeps in touch and if we have relevant work or events we invite her. She decided to quit eventually. I have a small business and it was very difficult to keep her in her last few months as we were haemorrhaging money and for a small business every penny counts.

I would just say keep conversations about targets and KPIs. Monitor perfomance always and when work starts slacking bring it up - not just because you think she is anorexic but as a small business whenever someone slacks it really affects us and it’s important to give people the breaks they need and to build a family like environment where you can be open with eachother. Also have your HR policies in place. If you are very concerned about cashflow - use freelancers as a trial.

Running a small business is so different to having the security of being a large corporation.

I hope you hire based on skill and can give the support needed when/if needed for any of your employees.

Having worked with a few people with eating disorders over the years, I can see why some businesses wouldn’t be keen to hire someone with one. If I had my own business, I wouldn’t.