Would you hire someone visibly anorexic?

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

I have a close family member who is anorexic. It means frequent (weekly) hospital visits. we had a few hospitalisations, she is often weak and tired, struggles to concentrate. Long absences from school as she is too weak. Not sure someone like that would be a good employee. If OP is unwell, she needs help to recover, not the stresses of a new job for which she doesn't have the energy. It's a very serious condition.

I would definitely prefer not to hire someone suffering with anorexia. My sister suffered with it for years and it often affected her cognitive ability. A specialist she saw at the time explained that fundamentally we are just animals and if you are consistently going hungry a primal part of your brain switches on that can only focus on food.

But as PP have said you can't assume that just because someone is visibly underweight has AN.

Especially n public or customer facing roles.

I taught a very anorexic mature student when I was working in universities. She was unable to finish the course or provide her essays. I'm not in a hiring role but I personally would be careful. It would depend a lot on the job. If I were a small business and/or depending on physical and reliable presenteeism it would be a no.
When I was in school, I had an anorexic teacher. She ended up out sick a lot having treatment and her classes were covered by subs who were less able. She was also a problematic person to put in a role model position in front of impressionable teenage girls. If others could be negatively influenced, that again could be a hiring factor.

Not answering your question but sending love and hugs having supported my lovely daughter through this. Do you feel ready to get some help / are you getting help.

Wishing you all the best op. My dd18 has Anorexia. She eats (just enough) and looks physically well, although slim.

She has looked for work but her need to eat regularly and at fixed times means it's hard to fit work into her life. Ideally she needs regular hours so she can form a routine and most jobs require flexibility. Stress is a huge factor in her recovery so she needs to feel safe and looked after in a role or risk relapse.

I've no doubt that finding a sympathetic employer would help her recovery massively.

And to the pp, yes Anorexia IS a disability. My dd gets the higher rate of PIP because of how her illness affects her and how much support she needs to stay well.

Just an FIY for people.
Business can not hire person with disability when they simply can't make reasonable adjustments. Hence why SMEs are "wild west" as someone called it because many cannot afford reasonable adjustments. Law works reasonably. It understands that not every workplace can make every reasonable adjustment and accommodate all disabilities and fining them into oblivion would not be feasable.

That’s a very discriminatory comment.
One of the strongest, most hardworking women I knew was anorexic.

Yes. I would.

Are you addressing the OP?!

So many posters leaping to scold on this thread! As usual.

Think if you have that attitude you are opening yourself up to a discrimination case and rightly so.

@saveforthat any condition that affects day to day living over a period of time (believe approx 6 months) can be a disability

It's realistic.
While you know that one, others here know ones who needed inpatient care.
Many micro businesses could not cover that long term without it causing issues to business, colleagues and the person who is often off.

Surely it would depend on the job - as a carer in a care home or anyone else expected to be on their feet for long hours, no.

In an office, factory or shop, yes.

tell her to look for a job in government. Most have flexi time and she can pick her hours, she can choose when to start, when to take lunch and when to finish and can have this as a reasonable adjustment. As a manager I’d put in place an adjustment to help someone manage their condition as best they can. A bigger organisation like Government might be better for her

Being slim isn't the same as being anorexic, with anorexia the person will often have much lower body fat, dark under eye circles, soft downy hair covering their body plus they'll often have thin hair on their head and bad teeth due to the stomach acids from throwing up.

Not always of course but these are some of the symptoms which may indicate anorexia.

No I wouldn't .

No I wouldn't, because they clearly have mental health issues.

No - for the same as I wouldn't be able to hire someone in a wheelchair. The job is physical and requires strength, full mobility and general fitness. It's not something that can be done from home or by someone who isn't fit and capable of walking for at least 7-8 miles everyday over rough terrain.

I'm a dog walker.

Anorexia (ICD-10:R63), or loss of appetite, occurs for various reasons, from underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, GI motility disorders, and infectious diseases such as influenza (flu) or the common cold to foodborne illnesses, natural aging changes, and more. Anorexia nervosa (ICD-10:F50) represents a psychological, emotional, physical, and socially triggered disorder where hunger isn't the issue.

No, I wouldn't — not if I was running a small business where I had to be absolutely certain that everyone cold pull their weight. If I were recruiting for a much larger business then maybe, but I would be wary. Sorry, OP. I hope you can find your way through. It's a terrible illness that seems to debilitate a lot of bright, conscientious women.

No, but that's from the pov of a small business in a demanding and stressful sector. It wouldn't be a good fit for a person managing anorexia.

Such a ridiculous comment, so she’d have to interview someone who is visibly anorexic and then they’d need to prove they didn’t get the role over other candidates due to it, which is nigh on impossible.

I don't think it would surprise people to know that, but nor should it surprise anyone else if jobs are offered for reasons other than to help the applicant overcome their mental health issues.

I think a lot of small employers wouldn't hire on that basis. Yes it's discrimination but no way of proving it unless they told you they was for the reason you didn't get the job.