Fat people

Frank the tank

Are they less employable than people who aren't?

Obviously this being the forum it is I believe I know what the consensus will be.

chrisaonabike

Frank the tank wrote:

Are they less employable than people who aren't?

Employable for what?

nicklouse

define fat?

danlikesbikes

If the employer owns a clothing shop & insist employees all look like this, we all know those kind of shops don't we then yes but generally no I don't think so.

tim_wand

Makes me stop and think when someone with a BMI above 30 serves me in McDonalds.

But conversely I always think the fat guy is going to win Master Chef

danlikesbikes

tim wand wrote:

But conversely I always think the fat guy is going to win Master Chef

Co-winner in 2012 - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... nners.html

AchillesLeftKnee

Frank the tank wrote:

Are they less employable than people who aren't?

Couldn't give a crap about anything other than "can they do the job" myself.

Compilers don't spit out errors along the lines of "Build Aborted : You ate all the pies", "Method getLocalStartDate() isn't missing from CalendarEvent, but I'm still not going to build because you're white", or "Homophobic Error : Ignoring your semi-colons because they look like you're winking at me and I'm worried you might want to bum me", and if they did I'd be looking towards different development environments a long time before I started looking for different staff.

Having said all that, being to fat to actually use a computer would be an issue.

jonomc4

it is a statistical fact that fat people are more likely to be unemployed than normal weight people - or at least thats what I read a few years ago.

If you are interviewing a person if they come in and are obese - I reckon odds on you will be put off employing them as subconsciously you are wondering if they will have health problems whilst working for you and also you will wonder how much care they will take over their job when they take so little care of themselves.

team47b

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

Gizmo_

jonomc4 wrote:

it is a statistical fact that fat people are more likely to be unemployed than normal weight people - or at least thats what I read a few years ago.

If you are interviewing a person if they come in and are obese - I reckon odds on you will be put off employing them as subconsciously you are wondering if they will have health problems whilst working for you and also you will wonder how much care they will take over their job when they take so little care of themselves.

I believe that statistic is correct.

However, I would suggest that any difference in 'interview success rate' would be at least as much due to the chubster lacking confidence and self-esteem during the interview, than the interviewer fearing the introduction of Donut Thursdays.

Frank the tank

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

Are they less employable than people who aren't?

Employable for what?

Figures released by the DWP say 7,000 Brits are too fat to work and claimed £28m in benefits last year, this is what prompted my posting.

random man

Frank the tank wrote:

Figures released by the DWP say 7,000 Brits are too fat to work and claimed £28m in benefits last year, this is what prompted my posting.

Some of those won't be ar$ed to try and lose weight but I wonder how many have put weight on due to long term unemployment?
Could be a vicious circle - unemployment = get fat = can't get a job = low self esteem = get fatter.

keef66

The people who baffle me the most are health professionals who are clearly unfit, overweight smokers.
It might be irrational but I'm disinclined to take diet and lifestyle advice from somebody like that.

chrisaonabike

jonomc4 wrote:

If you are interviewing a person if they come in and are obese - I reckon odds on you will be put off employing them as subconsciously you are wondering if they will have health problems whilst working for you and also you will wonder how much care they will take over their job when they take so little care of themselves.

I don't think there's any 'subconsciously' about it.

It's an interesting question, and it deserves asking. Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the grounds of gender, religion, sexual orientation, or indeed age, now, I believe.

I don't believe there's any legislation against discriminating on the basis of BMI yet, or am I wrong?

And if there isn't, should there be?

verylonglegs

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

jonomc4 wrote:

If you are interviewing a person if they come in and are obese - I reckon odds on you will be put off employing them as subconsciously you are wondering if they will have health problems whilst working for you and also you will wonder how much care they will take over their job when they take so little care of themselves.

I don't think there's any 'subconsciously' about it.

It's an interesting question, and it deserves asking. Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the grounds of gender, religion, sexual orientation, or indeed age, now, I believe.

I don't believe there's any legislation against discriminating on the basis of BMI yet, or am I wrong?

And if there isn't, should there be?

No, I doubt 30stone Police constables would catch many criminals.

ben@31

Depends what the job is?

I don't fancy fat peoples chances getting employed as a climb specialist on a UCI pro race team. Thomas Voeckler isn't exactly chubby and carrying a few spare lbs up the Col du Tourmalet. (he's 66Kg or 10.4St).

But when applying for a non physical office job, the fatness shouldn't discriminate against them.

Fatness maybe a prerequisite if they fancy becoming a lower league rugby prop forward :-)

Phil Fouracre

Don't know if it is relevant? whenever I have a run in with idiot/inconsiderate drivers I find they are the ones with their belly jammed against the steering wheel. Just realised! - crap driving due to belly impeding steering wheel.....

nicklouse

Frank the tank wrote:

Figures released by the DWP say 7,000 Brits are too fat to work and claimed £28m in benefits last year, this is what prompted my posting.

very different to what your first post says and it does not really say much,

were they deemed to be to fat to work when they first clamed or have they become to fat to work as they have not been working?

team47b wrote:

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

as we all know BMI is a crock of crap. I have worked with many people with a BMI of less than 30 who have been sick more often than those with a BMI over 30.

taff..

team47b wrote:

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

my BMI is 31.2.

I'm on a sick day :shock:


the OP must have been watching 'This Morning', on a sick day or unemployed?

Frank the tank

nicklouse wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

Figures released by the DWP say 7,000 Brits are too fat to work and claimed £28m in benefits last year, this is what prompted my posting.

very different to what your first post says and it does not really say much,

were they deemed to be to fat to work when they first clamed or have they become to fat to work as they have not been working?

team47b wrote:

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

as we all know BMI is a crock of crap. I have worked with many people with a BMI of less than 30 who have been sick more often than those with a BMI over 30.

TBH "nicklouse" it's a shame it's not only fat people that are unemployed, I'd be chuffed to bits if unemployment stood at 7,000.

I was just posing a topical question. To me saying there are so many fat people unemployed is not really that useful a piece of data. No more than publishing the number of smokers,drinkers,druggies, fitness fanatics is.

It was a stat seized upon by the media, that's all.

Frank the tank

taff.. wrote:

team47b wrote:

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

my BMI is 31.2.

I'm on a sick day :shock:


the OP must have been watching 'This Morning', on a sick day or unemployed?

That made me laugh, I am actually off work at the mo having had my second hip replacement in nine months.

taff..

Frank the tank wrote:

taff.. wrote:

team47b wrote:

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

my BMI is 31.2.

I'm on a sick day :shock:


the OP must have been watching 'This Morning', on a sick day or unemployed?

That made me laugh, I am actually off work at the mo having had my second hip replacement in nine months.

I did actually turn up for work this morning but was told to bugger off home before I made everyone else ill, it's been a long time since I was last ill :roll:

GiantMike

I have a BMI of 25 and I have had ONE day off in 3 years due to illness (I caught a cold from a fattie (probably)).

Coincidence?

ai_1

Everyone is less employable than whatever the local idea of perfection happens to be.
I'm pretty sure the statistics will show that any of the following reduce your chances of gaining employment:
- Unattractive
- Noticably overweight
- Severely underweight
- Wears glasses
- Significantly shorter than average
- Acne (or noticeable acne scars)
- Stammer (or other speech impediment - even minor ones)
- Squint/Lazy eye
- Unusual dress sense
- Strong accent
- Any visible physical disability (from a minor limp to an amputation)[/list]

Age, gender, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation and many other factors are all likely to have an impact too whether it's legal or not. If 2 candidates for a job are equally qualified, the decision often comes down to gut feeling and when that's the case, whether it's concious or not the decision will usually go to the more attractive or more "normal" candidate.

We're predisposed to prefer spending time with people who are young, strong, attractive, etc. That's a big part of how we choose our friends and partners. That's not to say they are the only or the most important factors but they are always there.

ai_1

GiantMike wrote:

I have a BMI of 25 and I have had ONE day off in 3 years due to illness (I caught a cold from a fattie (probably)).

Coincidence?

My BMI was at or just over 30 for a few years from around 2007 to 2010. I'm around 27.5 at the moment. I've had ZERO sick days in 7 years.

Coincidence?

No it's not a coincidence it's an irrelevent anecdote. :roll:

I once asked a woman on a bus to put out her cigarette. She told me her grandmother lived to 92 years old and smoked all her life so smoking wasn't bad for you. I don't know if you meant your comment seriously but if you did it's no more valid than hers.

Anecdotes aren't evidence.

Keith47

I went for my pre-op yesterday, finally having surgery on my heel ( haglunds deformity, google it, I'd never heard of it either, like all the so called doctors I've seen over the last 2 years! ), and when the nurse weighed me and checked my height she was amazed that my BMI was 29, with a 32 inch waist !! The fact I've exercised every day for the last 35 years doesn't count for anything, I AM BODERLINE OBESE!! What a crock of sh1t. :roll:

danlikesbikes

Ai_1 wrote:

Everyone is less employable than whatever the local idea of perfection happens to be.
I'm pretty sure the statistics will show that any of the following reduce your chances of gaining employment:
- Unattractive
- Noticably overweight
- Severely underweight
- Wears glasses
- Significantly shorter than average
- Acne (or noticeable acne scars)
- Stammer (or other speech impediment - even minor ones)
- Squint/Lazy eye
- Unusual dress sense
- Strong accent
- Any visible physical disability (from a minor limp to an amputation)[/list]

Age, gender, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation and many other factors are all likely to have an impact too whether it's legal or not. If 2 candidates for a job are equally qualified, the decision often comes down to gut feeling and when that's the case, whether it's concious or not the decision will usually go to the more attractive or more "normal" candidate.

We're predisposed to prefer spending time with people who are young, strong, attractive, etc. That's a big part of how we choose our friends and partners. That's not to say they are the only or the most important factors but they are always there.

I disagree with you, it depends on the job - http://www.ugly.org/UGLY-MODELS/

ben@31

I saw one theory recently that healthy food costs more to buy. So if you are unemployed, the lack of income makes it harder to eat healthy.
One example of the cost of good food is the ( now unpoplular ) canteen where I work has recently got brought in a contractor to provide the food. The contractor is out to fleece us for a profit rather than provide a good service. It reduces it's costs by giving us hardly any protein and expecting us to eat more stodge such as a plate full of chips and beans. I refuse to eat there.

ai_1

Keith47 wrote:

I went for my pre-op yesterday, finally having surgery on my heel ( haglunds deformity, google it, I'd never heard of it either, like all the so called doctors I've seen over the last 2 years! ), and when the nurse weighed me and checked my height she was amazed that my BMI was 29, with a 32 inch waist !! The fact I've exercised every day for the last 35 years doesn't count for anything, I AM BODERLINE OBESE!! What a crock of sh1t. :roll:

BMI is a really crude filter for judging if people are under/over weight. It's based on population norms but it's a very broad brush and plenty people who it would indicate are obese are actually pretty healthy and plenty people who are in the healthy BMI range have loads of visceral fat which as far as I know is the real indicator of health risk.

If your BMI says you're overweight but the doctor says otherwise - listen to the doctor.
Statistics are of limited importance to the individual but they're great for dealing with populations.

Frank the tank

Ai_1 made me smile when he/she posted it candidate selection was down to GUT FEELING.

VTech

team47b wrote:

Fat people (over 30BMI) take almost twice as many sick days.

I think the question by the OP is a good one and worth discussing, I was borderline obese before I started cycling and I am very sure that heavily fat people will have more time off due to health issues than average weight people.
It's a fact that when heavily overweight you are more prone to illness so I am also sure it is a factor at interview with many jobs. Just like it is if you are a woman of child bearing age even though no one will admit to it.