Overweight people at work
Discussion
KrissKross said:
The Spruce goose said:
Surely as the manager, sorry owner you can do better than coming on PH for employment advice.
Subsidised gym membership
free fruit/healthy snacks
ban eating at the desk
etc
I would gladly do all of that, would they accept, possibly not.Subsidised gym membership
free fruit/healthy snacks
ban eating at the desk
etc
They refuse
You let them go
You get sued for discrimation
Everyone wins
As an ex-obese person I will tell you that I would have told you to get f
ked if you’d have offered to help me to lose weight. I did it when I wanted and my way. Measure their performance against all other people doing the same job, manage them appropriately and get over it.
Good luck.
ruggedscotty said:
Travel agent & cultural mediator ...
Owns a BMW.... A 535....
On a car forum asking how to deal with a fat subordinate ?
yikes.... Im sooooo glad I dont work for you.
Believing someone's profile is correct, yes that's sensible.Owns a BMW.... A 535....
On a car forum asking how to deal with a fat subordinate ?
yikes.... Im sooooo glad I dont work for you.
Attacking someone you know nothing about, equally sensible.
Butter Face said:
As an ex-obese person I will tell you that I would have told you to get fked if you’d have offered to help me to lose weight. I did it when I wanted and my way.
Measure their performance against all other people doing the same job, manage them appropriately and get over it.
Good luck.
Agreed and thank you for a sensible response.ked if you’d have offered to help me to lose weight. I did it when I wanted and my way. Measure their performance against all other people doing the same job, manage them appropriately and get over it.
Good luck.
Performace measurement is an easy task but gut feel tells me they could do better if they sorted out their health. I honestly would like to help but even talking about the subject could get me into trouble as you point out.
I would think a way to approach this is to separate two separate concerns:
(1) You believe the individual could performa better
(2) You are concerned about the obesity.
It is not necessarily correct that one causes the other. Therefore , I would be inclined to specifically address any performance deficits you see and have a conversation with the person as to some changes that you would like to see in terms of improving output, so that the focus is on performance rather the obesity.
That way you won't worry so much about the obesity being the cause, ( although many are biased to connect the two, and would assume that obese people could not possibly be effective, like useless clowns such as (say) Winston Churchill
(1) You believe the individual could performa better
(2) You are concerned about the obesity.
It is not necessarily correct that one causes the other. Therefore , I would be inclined to specifically address any performance deficits you see and have a conversation with the person as to some changes that you would like to see in terms of improving output, so that the focus is on performance rather the obesity.
That way you won't worry so much about the obesity being the cause, ( although many are biased to connect the two, and would assume that obese people could not possibly be effective, like useless clowns such as (say) Winston Churchill
KrissKross said:
There are some really angry people in here, I assume that's why many of you looking for an answer to your own problems within the employment section of the internet.
Not remotely angry, just astounded that you seem to feel you have the right to set some kind of weight limit and/or judge people by their weight.You must be some kind of s
t hot doctor if you can make those sorts of judgements. Oh wait, no, you're a 'Travel agent & cultural mediator'. 
Yipper said:
The research typically shows obese people are 30-40% less productive than average and take 50-60% more sick days. But it's probably discriminatory and illegal to tackle them directly. You'll need to find a workaround method, like a company-subsidized fitness program.
askyipper.com strikes again 
My old firm had a manager who was a morbidly obese woman, who used to make a big thing about how she didn't understand how she didn't lose weight, as all she ate was fruit.
She was right, literally all she did was eat fruit, she used to come in in the morning every day with a carrier bag that you literally couldn't have squeezed another bit of fruit in, and munch her way through the lot at her desk.
Strangely, I've never met anyone with a higher self opinion in my life, considering just how fat and common she was.
They will know they’re a fat knacker. You telling them they’re fat or offering fruit, gym membership or whatever won’t help. There’s basically nothing you can do unless they ask you for advice, which they won’t.
My mate worked with a big fat woman. One day she fell over in the office, letting out a huge ripping fart as she went down. She hadn’t injured herself but was too embarrassed to stand up so an ambulance had to be called and paramedics wasted their time lifting her up. All because she’d squeezed the cheese in front of everyone.
My mate worked with a big fat woman. One day she fell over in the office, letting out a huge ripping fart as she went down. She hadn’t injured herself but was too embarrassed to stand up so an ambulance had to be called and paramedics wasted their time lifting her up. All because she’d squeezed the cheese in front of everyone.
Yipper said:
The research typically shows obese people are 30-40% less productive than average and take 50-60% more sick days. But it's probably discriminatory and illegal to tackle them directly. You'll need to find a workaround method, like a company-subsidized fitness program.
I know it is a difficult concept when you post bullst continuously, but when you say the research, try stating which research otherwise it is just more made up nonsense from you as usual.Johnnytheboy said:
askyipper.com strikes again
My old firm had a manager who was a morbidly obese woman, who used to make a big thing about how she didn't understand how she didn't lose weight, as all she ate was fruit.
She was right, literally all she did was eat fruit, she used to come in in the morning every day with a carrier bag that you literally couldn't have squeezed another bit of fruit in, and munch her way through the lot at her desk.
Strangely, I've never met anyone with a higher self opinion in my life, considering just how fat and common she was.
I worked with someone who drank alot, ate bad food alot then went on eBay and bought diet pills and "super vitamins" from China (even after publicized deaths). I've never met a more two faced devicive person.My old firm had a manager who was a morbidly obese woman, who used to make a big thing about how she didn't understand how she didn't lose weight, as all she ate was fruit.
She was right, literally all she did was eat fruit, she used to come in in the morning every day with a carrier bag that you literally couldn't have squeezed another bit of fruit in, and munch her way through the lot at her desk.
Strangely, I've never met anyone with a higher self opinion in my life, considering just how fat and common she was.
Everything I said (genuinely well intended) was turned into a negative. I got out.
OP do others snack at their desk? Will you be penalising good workers too?
That's the fear. Make it unintentionally a miserable place to work.
Just monitor her performance. Such people don't want help, they'll turn it into victimization.
Just be a good boss with no agendas.
KrissKross said:
WaferThinHam said:
Why did you employ them if you feel like this?
I employ a good number of people, all shapes and sizes. We are a really good and strong team.I could just get rid of them but would like to help if I could, would you allow a family member to go through this?
Still not sure why you employed them if you knew it would make you feel like this, surely it would be easier to employ a thin person? If the fat lad was the best candidate for the job, and is still doing their job to the same standard then what's the problem?
Doubtless you know this as it's your own company, but you're not a charity. If he's doing the job well then who cares, it's his choice.
Genuine question around employment law, if someone's performance isn't good enough and you attempt to tackle it but make no mention of weight, if the person claims "you're singling me out because I'm overweight" is the emphasis on them to prove that you are or on you to prove that you aren't?
In the OP's situation presumably they don't actually know if any performance issues are caused by the persons weight or if they're simply not performing as expected?
In the OP's situation presumably they don't actually know if any performance issues are caused by the persons weight or if they're simply not performing as expected?
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Genuine question around employment law, if someone's performance isn't good enough and you attempt to tackle it but make no mention of weight, if the person claims "you're singling me out because I'm overweight" is the emphasis on them to prove that you are or on you to prove that you aren't?
In the OP's situation presumably they don't actually know if any performance issues are caused by the persons weight or if they're simply not performing as expected?
Weight is not a protected characteristic for discrimination protection.In the OP's situation presumably they don't actually know if any performance issues are caused by the persons weight or if they're simply not performing as expected?
That said, the OP comes across as a bigot.
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