for thinking everyone at work should not have to pick up the slack because a colleague is too overweight to do her share?

[Twigggy]

I work in a job where some of the tasks involve lifting carrying and moving things. It is not all heavy labour but everyone is expected to take turns so the workload is fair.

One of my colleagues has been with the company for years. Over time she has gained a lot of weight. She is now morbidly obese and is very open about the fact that she eats too much and does not have any medical condition causing it. She even jokes about it sometimes.

The issue is that as her weight has increased her ability to do the physical parts of the job has decreased. Management have quietly stopped assigning her any of the lifting or carrying tasks. That means the rest of us have to do more to cover her share which can be exhausting especially on busy days.

A few of us have raised this with our manager and HR but both said there is nothing they can do and that we need to be sensitive. Essentially we were told to just keep doing the extra work so we do not upset her.

No one has said anything to her directly because it feels like a sensitive topic and I do not want to be accused of being discriminatory. But it is frustrating that the burden is falling on the rest of us for something that is not due to illness or injury and that she openly admits is her own lifestyle choice.

I am starting to feel resentful. AIBU for thinking this is not fair?

I mean if she can't, she can't.

the OP only knows what she sees, which may not be the whole story, and its not her job to raise it with a colleague. If she feels she personally can't do the job that managment expect her to do then she takes it to them and requests and lifting and handling assessment rather than coming on to SM to whine.

Sorry, but I’ve certainly known a very obese person who readily admitted that he just loved his food. Though he was phenomenally successful in his career. It was probably down to a great deal of wine, too, and as he said, far too many gourmet business lunches on expenses.

And what do you think management should do about her weight?

They probably aren't even allowed to mention her weight due to employment laws.
The employees weight issues are for her to deal with alone.

If the lifting and carrying is causing you health issues then you should ask for the risk assessment to be updated to take into account the additional duties. Focus on the things you have some control over.

You have absolutely no idea whether this colleague or other overweight people are lazy.

Or management think she’s doing her full job because everyone else is doing it for her…

@Twigggy is your work load unreasonable? Do you do too much lifting? That’s the only bit that should concern you. Whether it’s because there is not enough staff, not enough trolleys or whatever, the only person you should be looking at is yourself.
If you’re asked to do someone’s share of lifting, just say you find the load too much and it is impacting on your health.
If your colleague sits on the chair and goes: can you lift this for me because otherwise she can’t do her job, just say no, it’s too much for you.
Anything else is irrelevant.

Rubbish. Management are obviously happy with the work she does do. People in a job don't have to be doing exactly the same thing to be doing their job.

Are you hard of reading and comprehension. The op clearly has a problem with picking up her workload while she is busy picking up weight and being let off her duties.

Did you completely miss this

Management have quietly stopped assigning her any of the lifting or carrying tasks

In which case she needs to assess her own workload with management if she's finding it difficult. It's not her business how management manage other people.

Sounds like a management issues as others have said.

I’d speak to management without mentioning colleague. Tell them that you can only manage X amount of the physical tasks and it is taking its toll on you.

If they want to spare colleague these tasks they may have to hire another person to do it.

Heavens. We all work with somebody who ducks out of their fair share of work for whatever reason. If she can’t do her job because she is too overweight she needs to move to a different job. It’s not a disability. Honestly in our local supermarket on an average day you can count thd reasonable-sized people on the fingers of a mutilated hand. They can’t ALL have deep-seated disability issues causing weight gain.

What's with the sudden outbreak of fat shaming threads just lately?

Is she capable of doing her job? Management and HR should be dealing with this but sounds like they have made reasonable adjustments for her. I would be wary of how you approach this as it could be seen as bullying

But what can they do? I totally get what you’re saying, but put yourself in the HR manager’s role…what can they do? Make her lift heavy boxes and risk her suing them if she falls? Threaten her with the sack because she is too overweight to fulfill her role? Tell her everyone else is annoyed because she’s a lazy bastard and won’t lift the heavy boxes?

It’s a minefield for them, she could take them to a tribunal for discrimination, it’s impossible.

If you were in their shoes OP, how exactly would you deal with it?

She's not picking up her workload. Management are assigning tasks (each individuals workload) if OP is unhappy with what she is being assigned she can talk to them. Or get another job, it's only her opinion that the tasks need to be assigned the same to everyone. They don't. The allocation is up to management.

Oh it's not a sudden outbreak! It's been going on a very long time.

Umm what? I have family in construction. Yes you have to be pretty able bodied. or you can’t do the job. This is not the out there concept you seem to think it is.

You mean context changes things?

Wow what a surprise...

Almost like if OP had posted "CFer at work is not doing their share" and then later shared "Well it's because they have a disability that impairs one aspect of work" it would change things...

Dunno. But mumsnet have a marketing agreement with a WLI company now, so I suppose once everybody's been made to feel shit about themselves, there's an easy link to click to put themselves in the position of being the superior bully instead of the lowly victim.

Yes, if it stops her doing part of her job.

She's doing 'her job' as her workload is being assigned by management. Op just isn't happy with how management are assigning it. Management are.

She's being assigned her fat colleagues share as shes too fat to do it!!