A recent study has revealed that being overweight could harm a prospective candidate’s chance at getting a job.

The survey suggests that employers believe that the overweight are lazy or not hard workers.Further results revealed that the seriously overweight are paid less than their contemporaries, and are more likely to be overlooked for promotion. Some are even the subject of bullying.

The results come from a survey carried out by Slimming World, conducted with over 2,000 people. Of this, 200 bosses took part and revealed some of the decisions they’ve taken at interview stage. 25% revealed they had turned a candidate down due to size.

Unfortunately the discrimination laws don’t cover weight, so employers are not breaking any rules by rejecting larger candidates. However, they may be missing out on some major talent.

Employers are not allowed to judge a candidate based on age, so why should they be able to judge someone based on what size clothing they wear?

It’s a difficult subject, as it’s easy to see why some would assume an individual has low self-control if they’ve gained a lot of weight. It should be considered that everyone has different metabolisms and medical conditions, which could lead to weight gain. Equally, everyone’s perceptions of what could be considered ‘overweight’ varies. Is a size 14 candidate considered overweight?

It would be interesting to see what experiences others have had with weight and work.

Have you encountered resistance at work due to your weight?

Source: Scotsman