To think fat equals lazy to prospective employers

[Oldfatbrenda]

I've been to a few interviews lately and I can't help feeling at a disadvantage because I am fat. I'm a size 20/22 for context. I think we larger people are judged for it whether it's conciously or not. AIBU? I also feel this because I'm mid forties.... So a double whammy.

Yup. A higher risk

More likely to go on disability too

As an employer I have never considered weight or age when recruiting
There are very specific skills I’m looking for and whether they will be a good fit
I have never noticed a difference in time off sick, and the odd few issues I’ve had around unreasonable absences have not been due to weight either
As an overweight 60 year old myself - I worry about how I’m perceived by others and always take great care of my appearance if I am attending events, giving presentations, networking etc

Actually research does show that women from mid 40s do start to find it harder to get jobs than men. Age discrimination kicks in earlier than it does for men.

I think (as others have said) that it probably depends on the job. I've been your size, perhaps a bit bigger, and didn't seem to have any trouble getting teaching jobs. I wouldn't take much notice of someone's weight myself if recruiting. I've also never noticed that overweight people take more sick leave.

It is well proven that exercise doesn’t help you lose weight. Currently reading on this subject. It is also now known that the obesity gene is genetic for a significant portion of the population and that, along with the rise in UPF foods, makes it very hard to lose weight.

This is true because people are vilified for being fat. I once had an interview where I couldn't fit my arsecheeks in the chair. It was one of those decorative egg style chairs that aren't meant to be used for anything. I was a size 14. The interviewer gave me snidey looks the entire time and called me straight away to tell me I hadn't got the job. I said thank you anyway and she asked why I didn't want any feedback. Then took great pleasure in telling me all the reasons why I had interviewed badly. She said my appearance didn't fit in - we were wearing almost identical suits and I'd had my hair done so I'm guessing she meant my weight. I found it 10 X harder to get a new job while fat than I ever did when I was thin.

It is also now known that the obesity gene is genetic for a significant portion of the population

So why is this gene only a problem nowadays, rather than in the past?

It really is more about easy access to food and the sheer volume of it that people consume now, rather than genes.

I also think it’s more about access to cheap food. It’s just really easy to overeat now. Despite pp saying exercise does not help, well maybe sitting still for 23.15 hours a day and doing a 45 min gym class doesn’t help much, but I’m pretty sure that when people spent their days in jobs/ housework that required physical labour, it certainly helped.

Most of us have very sedentary lives, live in warm houses and work places ( cold uses calories) and have easy access to lots of food designed to be highly palatable to us. I think it’s this rather than genes that are the biggest factors in us getting fatter and fatter.

Same, think that’s rubbish, personally, as a formerly 24st woman. I never took time off with obesity related issues. The only time I was off for stretches of time was when I had an accident and subsequent clots/cellulitis, to which I’m apparently prone.

If I'm honest, with 2 equally good candidates to pick I'd go for the slimmer one. I hate saying it as someone who was big, being obese but significantly increase chances of getting quite a number of serious conditions there's the potential it could be due to an unresolved mental health issue or indeed show laziness; body odour could be an issue - whilst not a given is more likely if you're big & not scrupulous with hygiene; then there's potential lack of mobility generally, stamina - would they manage a long day on their feet for 3 days at trade fair? Could they help lift/carry for set up etc. non may be true but all those things would be considered.

In your case op it could be your age, your weight or just suitability for the job but for me being told very obviously I didn't get a job due to my size was the motivation I needed to start addressing it. I'm by no means slender but more 'normal' size 14 & treated so so differently. Sad but true.

https://www.obesityaction.org/resources/obesity-and-the-immune-system/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-69002714.amp

The findings were part-funded by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which makes the weight-loss injection that the NHS is now prescribing.

Out of genuine interest, is this outside a certain range or would you differentiate between say, approx size 8 and 12 candidates?

Would you filter based on other characteristics such as if one applicant was thin but looked physically weak compared to a fairly overweight but healthy looking person? (eg even at my largest aforementioned size 18-20 I exercised quite a lot so was young and reasonably fit. I'd just packed weight on to a biggish frame thanks to bloody routine meds, I don't think there was anything in my appearance to suggest I was lacking stamina or strength).

Not in a rude way, I just quite find your honest post intriguing!!

If it's of any help, if your skillset matches the job description and you have good experience then size has never been an issue

Making an effort to be clean and presentable sounds like stating the obvious but you'd be surprised.

I'm late 30s and overweight have never had a problem getting jobs in fact was offered 2 out of 4 I interviewed for lately.

You only have to look at MN for 8 days to see the numbers of posters who make negative assumptions about anybody with a higher BMI than theirs.

Why start yet another thread to bring them in? Anybody who is overweight or average weight or underweight but with ED lurking in the background is going to have all those negative assumptions reinforced.

@Shizzlestix @Janome9300

I don't think it's surprising that overweight or obese people take more sick days than people who aren't. There are always going to be exceptions, obviously. If you want info specifically about obesity and sick leave in the Uk then I found these after a quick google. The recent report that PPs linked to on the BBC didnt include UK data so I've no idea if it's relevant or not.

This study is old but based on 9000 London underground workerss* it found obese workers take, on average, 4 more days a year. (They looked at full time employees). The study also concluded employers need support becoming more involved in tackling obesity.

This Southampton Uni study looked at 4700 workers over 50 and looked at the associations between BMI and prolonged sickness absence It found Obesity, and particularly severe obesity, negatively impacts work ability amongst people aged 50–64 years, with greatest effects in women.

This gives an interesting if somewhat depressing overview of Obesity and Work..* It was published by The Institute of Employment Studies in 2019.

Weight isn't a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 so I guess that means that employers can discriminate against potential employees based on weight. That's shocking when you think about it.

I wonder if employers discriminate against smokers too.

It is well proven that exercise doesn’t help you lose weight.

I guess its just a coincidence that out of 300 plus members down my rowing club only a handful would be considered overweight compared to the 65% national average. Same with those overweight people who took up the sport via our learn to row courses who all magically shrunk over several months. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the several sessions of mixed land (ergs and weights) and on the water training each week.

It's the same with my kid's sports teams.

Childhood obesity is rife in my area, yet I can't think of a single overweight child in any of their football, cricket or basketball teams.

It's a matter of degrees I think. I am overweight. I wouldn't call myself obese (although my BMI suggests so) I'm a size 16 and I have really worried if this would be held against me. I was afraid people will see me as incompetent. If I can't get my shit together in my personal life then how can I do so in my professional life. I honestly never felt it worked against me and realised much of the prejudice was in my own head. I have never worked in industries that are fashionable or attract beautiful people and suspect thats a factor. That said, I have a family member who is very big and when she talked about changing jobs recently I was concerned. She looks unhealthy, eats a terrible diet and doesn't exercise, she couldn't even walk for 10 minutes and struggles with stairs. If I met her for the first time I would have gone with another candidate and that's the truth.

Well I'm the biggest in my team and haven't taken one sick day in years yet mt slimmer colleagues are often off sick. One guy does mountain biking and injured himself regularly and often off sick, woikd you screen him out of a job because of that? Becuase I'd you are only judging on looks you wouldn't yet he would be the one who will be off sick the most due to broken limbs etc.

So it doesn't always corelate that being fat means more time off sick.

I was 6 stone overweight and recently lost 4 stones. In 4 years I have had one sick day at my current employer and that was for Covid. Younger and slimmer contemporary is currently on absence management due to being off so much, so between us you’d give her a told over me? Well hell mend you then.