so according to my grandmother if you are overweight you will never get a job!*face palm*

huh?

Somebody should tell John Goodman.

lmao @ lex right?

yeah she was telling me that overweight people have harder times getting hired and finding work.thats funny because ive been working sense i was 16

I guess (just a guess) that it depends on the type of job. If you have to be physically fit or something, then I guess that might apply

I suppose if you're trying to get hired as a ballet dancer or an Olympic sprinter, it could be an issue.

well im not applying to be a fitness instructor or a right climbing guide lol.

I do have to admit in certain jobs a persons weight will make the job harder for them to do & in tight places makes it harder for those working with them who are trying to do their job but can't get around the other person. Like restaurant work. Most places you barely have room to squeeze by another smaller person. Obese...forget it!! Just wait your turn!! May be what your Grandmother is getting at. I think bosses sees this as well.

i mean ive had no problems getting hired at places before so its not like i gained 300 pounds and cant work..

I have heard this also...

But I believe the gist of it is that companies don't want to insure people who may have any health issues or concerns down the road. Same idea has been going around about people who smoke also. Of course I would think this would only affect the companies that have benefits to begin with.

yeah i mean i would love to have my ovarian cysts taken out and my thyroid fixed..

I didn't check these facts but the article provides some information on the economic loss some people experience by being overweight. It's a quick read.

http://applicant.com/the-cost-of-being-fat-100000-over-a-lifetime/

When Kevin Smith (yes, @ThatKevinSmith) was grounded from a Southwest Airlines flight on Saturday, February 13, a fresh media firestorm was just taking off. The topic: weight discrimination (and rotten customer service) seems to be the last remaining socially accepted form of bigotry. And it’s not just costing obese passengers the price of an extra ticket—“weight-ism” is costing employees a lot of money.

Companies like airlines can cite safety concerns and courtesy to affected passengers as the motivation behind their rules, but when employees are allowed to change the letter of the law as they see fit, the true spirit of the law shines through. People think it’s okay to discriminate against their overweight peers, and there’s a glut of statistics to prove it.

The Council on Size & Weight Discrimination cites several studies in the last decade that show the financial affects of weight discrimination in the workplace. Here are some of the more shocking figures:

-Heavier workers earn $1.25 an hour less than their average-weight peers, adding up to a $100,000 difference in a 40-year career.
-Additional weight hurts women even more—slightly overweight women can expect a 6% pay discrepancy, whereas more obese women make 24% less.
-A survey of people 50% over their ideal weight showed that 17% were fired or pressured to resign because of their weight.

A 2009 Weight Bias Study from Yale (PDF) showed that a job applicant or employee’s weight had a considerable effect on employment decisions such as hiring, placement, and coworker evaluations. According the study, “it was demonstrated that overweight job applicants and employees were evaluated more negatively and had more negative employment outcomes compared to non-overweight applicants and employees.”

Perhaps the most shocking fact of all is that weight discrimination is almost perfectly legal. Only one state (Michigan) features legislation against weight discrimination. There have been individual cases where employers’ policies have been ruled against, but the standards that protect individuals’ rights against age, race, religious, and gender discrimination offer no such shelter to the obese. Obviously, we have to ask . . . should they?

Most definitely. First of all, for many people, obesity is more of a disease than a choice, as genetic predispositions, glandular complications, and other medical conditions can affect a person’s ability to control weight gain. And secondly, obesity doesn’t directly reduce most employees’ abilities to perform job functions. Yes, there is a higher risk in some cases of lost time due to associated health problems, but the discrimination uncovered by studies generally has nothing to do with health and everything to do with character judgments.

It really shouldn’t take a Hollywood director with an itchy Twitter finger to open our eyes to a problem that affects virtually every company in America. Don’t you ever stop to wonder why every employee review seems to have an “Appearance” category? It’s because looks mean a lot in the corporate world, and right or wrong, we have to deal with it. There’s a certain amount of superficial business everyone has to attend to, from small talk to suits and ties.

So what can you do? Here are a few rules of thumb:

-Treat people with respect, regardless of their appearance. That’s especially important if you’re in customer service.
-Evaluate employees, applicants, and coworkers according to the merits of who they are and what they do, not how much they weigh.
-If you’re overweight and you’re the victim of discrimination, don’t be afraid to speak out on behalf of your rights. Be direct and assertive, and show respect for yourself and those in a position to help you.
-Keep a positive attitude. No one should have to put up with discrimination, but it’s twice as bad when you begin to believe that you are worth less.
What are your thoughts on the issue? Do you think weight discrimination is a significant problem? How have you seen it play out in the workplace? Has it ever prevented you from getting or keeping a job? Let us know in the comments section.

Being short doesn't help either.

i would just love for someone to feel the pain i go through when i have an ovarian cycst pop in thier system...

yeah,, interviews give employers more than an opportunity to size up your merits on paper,, they are also observing your physical attributes and , unfortunately, those biases they may have can and do come into place

In a front office at an upscale place or an exclusive club house, for example, they will probably opt to hire 'fit' people. In a restaurant,, they probably wont have such a stringent expectation of appearance from a waitress,,,


its sad but true,, people have many physical biases and when those poeple are in positions to hire, it can come into play

and thats what gets me i was constantly working overtime at my last job or coming in early and staying late.

that sucks,,,there are good people though who just want a well qualified applicant,,, we just have to SEEK them out,,lol(which isnt easy in a recession because a well paying job is hard to find )

Well that's a load of crap! That would be called discrimination! an don't even get me started on the whole smoking thing. Wtf is America coming to?

This is the price a society pays when it lets magazine models and 'celebrities' determine its values ...

the problem is because there are very few PERFECT employees,, we either will miss a few minutes at work, or make a mistake in our job, or ask too many questions,,,or any number of things that a company can use as just reason to 'let u go' for another candidate.

Discrimination is hard to prove without a record.. if someone does the research to show that the company has consistently and repeatedly fired and rejected the overweight, in comparison with applicants with similar qualification,,,then its on and a case is on its way to EEO ....If it truly seems to be a policy(discrimination), it is important that people follow through with holding those companies responsible..