Obesity: Red Flag for Employers

  Perhaps you’re working extra hard these days to hang onto your job, or, if you’re looking for work, you’re using every avenue you know to find a job.  In either situation, better check out your waist-line if you’re serious about having a job in the future.  That’s because if you’re carrying too much weight – enough to be considered overweight or obese – then this is a concern to employers.  studies have shown that not only do overweight workers have higher absenteeism and health care costs, but they are less productive.  Such statistics become even more important as companies are keeping only key performers and are scrutinizing ways to trim health care costs.

In addition, several courts have recently ruled that employers also must pay for weight-loss surgery for overweight employees who need operations for work-related injuries.  The courts have stated that the weight-loss procedures are needed to guarantee the successful repair of the initial injury.

For job seekers, the nearly 10 percent unemployment rate means that they may need to be even more proactive in trimming the waistline.  A Wayne State university study found last year that over weight workers are viewed negatively, and nowhere is that more evident than in the hiring process, especially if they’re applying for a job with face-to-face interactions. 

It appears employers think they are doing what they feel they need to do, but how do you feel about this as well?

Source: Gannett