Hiring decision: A weighty matter

Approximately two-thirds of America's workers are either overweight or obese and the numbers are increasing. An article in the January 2012 edition of Scientific American entitled "Five Hidden Dangers of Obesity" states that obesity, defined as being 20 percent heavier than the high side of normal, is on the rise. The article states, "According to one estimate, the U.S. will be home to 65 million more obese people in 2030 than it is today, leading to an additional 6 million more cases of heart disease and stroke and another 8 million cases of Type 2 diabetes."

The accompanying illustration shows obesity levels by state. There appears to be a trend of highest obesity in the southeastern states, with the lowest rates in the southwest and a few northeastern states. Even in the "healthier" states, obesity rates above 20 percent are alarming.

The table shows that Nevada ranks 48th in level of obesity compared with the rest of the country and the District of Columbia. This may appear to be good news for Nevada, but a 22 percent obesity rate shows clear room for improvement.

The trend toward a population increasing in obesity has created issues in the workplace. While at this time, weight is not a protected class in any state except Michigan, there has been increasing attention in business media on the effect of worker health (and weight) on productivity.

If you are overweight, considering what you can do about workplace discrimination can be a dilemma, whether you are concerned about getting a job or a promotion, especially in this still tight job market. These days, most workers are just not willing to walk away from a steady paycheck and status on a totem pole, even if they feel they are being discriminated against.

So what is an overweight employee to do? First, don't buy into what people are saying or doing. No one is defined by any single aspect of who we are, yet there is a plethora of evidence to show that overweight people frequently doubt themselves due to their weight, and this lack of self-esteem shows when they interview for a job or a promotion.

When you are interviewing, you should be thinking about nothing but why you are right for this position and what you have to offer. It is a fact that if you don't believe in your capability to do the job, no one else will.

Next, if someone says the wrong thing in the workplace, wait a while before responding. Collect your thoughts. Then, when an opportunity presents itself, sit down quietly with the offender. Try to establish an understanding so that no further incidents will take place. Explain that what they said hurt your feelings and why.

Then privately, document what you did, hoping it will never happen again. If it happens again, continue to document so you will have something to back up your complaint if you decide to take this to a higher level. Most managers understand fairness, and if you have done what you can to manage the situation, you may reasonably ask your supervisor to help.

After considering how to manage discrimination, overweight workers should face the risks to personal health posed by their weight. Health risks associated with obesity include hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, endocrine problems, gall bladder disease, lung and breathing problems, arthritis and premature death.

The good news is that weight loss of as little as 10 percent can yield significant health benefits, according to Donna M. Gates, Ed.D., R.N., of the University of Cincinnati. In other words, you don't need to face a daunting 50-pound loss. If you are 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weigh 180 pounds, a weight loss of just 18 pounds will significantly improve your health.

Recognize that there is a real concern for an employer. A new study out of King's College London showed that obese individuals averaged four more days of sick leave per year than their nonobese peers. That may not seem like much, but when you consider that their peers only took five days of leave, the obese workers took 80 percent more than their counterparts.

The website SmartBusiness.com reports that obesity impacts health care, workers' compensation costs and lost productivity. Steve Martenet, president of HealthLink, states that health care costs for obese employees are as much as 21 percent higher than costs for those at a healthy weight. Overweight workers miss 450 million more days of work each year than their healthier co-workers, costing businesses $153 billion in lost productivity, according to a Gallup poll.

According to Martenet, obese workers are also more prone to injuries on the job, and it takes longer for them to recuperate from those injuries. The Centers for Disease Control found that obesity has roughly the same association with chronic health conditions as 20 years of aging.

The Surgeon General reports that more than 9 percent of the nation's health care expenditures are directly related to obesity and physical inactivity. They calculate that cost at about $117 billion annually and relate to 300,000 deaths per year. To put this into context, while 1,000 have died in the Iraq war in a two-year period, the death of 300,000 Americans due to obesity-related causes is not reported.

Employees who are moderately to extremely obese have reduced productivity on the job, even compared to overweight or mildly obese workers, as reported in a study in the January 2012 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Workers with moderate to extreme obesity had the greatest health-related limitations at work, something the study authors called "presenteeism." By this, they mean "limitations in time needed to complete work tasks and ability to meet physical work demands."

Some employers have reduced employee contributions for health insurance to those who are no-smokers, have a normal body mass index and pass other health tests. An employee's annual contribution for health insurance coverage might be $1,200. If the employees who pass the health standards tests get a reduction of $300, this is a carrot for the healthier employees and a de facto punishment for those who don't pass the tests.

According to Bill Santamour of Hospitals and Health Networks Daily, one hospital in Texas has recently stopped hiring obese employees. An employee of another hospital chain in Texas, who wishes to remain anonymous, told this writer that her employer has recently stopped hiring smokers.

There is an obvious question here. Should employers be looking into our private lives to this degree? Some workers like to engage in risky sports on the weekend; injuries from these activities could cut into productivity.

Workers are accustomed to drug testing for certain jobs, and society is becoming intolerant of smoking. But how much intrusion into employees' private choices is acceptable? That question may have to be answered in time.

Nonetheless, we have to deal with the here and now. The overweight employee will want to take advantage of any employer-sponsored health incentives at their workplace environment. It is not uncommon to see a walking path added near the building or healthier fare in the cafeteria. Small bonuses for memberships in gyms can sometimes be found.

Wellness fairs, where participants are educated and sometimes given vaccinations or quick evaluations by health care professionals, are springing up all over the country. Exercise competitions of sorts, where groups of people compete against each other for incentives provided by the employer, can be found or can be lobbied for by employees.

So what is an employee to do if he or she experiences weight discrimination on the job? First, let's define weight discrimination. Tolerating rude comments is one example of discrimination. Being passed over for promotions, all other factors being equal, is another.

Basically, unless you can prove that your status is caused by a disability that falls under one of the protected classes, except in Michigan, you don't have much ground for a lawsuit. The following laws apply:

n Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that everyone in the United States has a right to employment free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This law has been used in weight discrimination cases where weight standards are applied differently to different protected classes (e.g., genders). If your only standard is weight, you have no ground.

n The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination against an otherwise qualified individual with handicaps, solely on the basis of that handicap, in any program which receives federal assistance.

n The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 extends the protection against discrimination on the basis of disability to the private sector. Again here, we are talking about disability, not weight.

n State of Michigan: Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act, Act 453 of 1976, Sec. 209, bans discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, national origin, age sex, height, weight or marital status.

Of course, in this job market, every employee needs to be proactive about any aspect of employability that will help him or her get a job or a promotion. If getting into better shape is one of the ways you could improve your employment outlook, you know what to do.

You know you want to get a proper amount of sleep, eat sensibly, exercise moderately and don't consume alcohol in excess. Sometimes employees are embarrassed to take advantage of the wellness programs at work because they don't want to be seen walking on the office track when others are jogging. That is an example of destructive thinking.

Being seen on the office track at all is better than not being there. Your employer has health incentives, which cost the company money, because healthier employees are seen to create a better bottom line. Even if you are already doing all you can and weight is not coming off anyway, don't be discouraged.

Participating in wellness programs at work shows fellow employees that they should not judge the proverbial book by its cover. If the weight stubbornly stays put, this may be cause to consult a doctor.

It may seem unfortunate that employees have to show others certain behaviors, but everyone has to be conscious of their workplace image. Employees sometimes fake it if they are going through a divorce so the boss doesn't think they are emotionally unstable when they are up for a promotion. They sometimes don't tell others about that miscarriage because they are uncomfortable feeling sad at work.

Everyone, regardless of weight, thinks about their workplace image. Don't feel bad for joining in.

The bottom line is this. Your employer does have a financial stake in hiring healthy workers, and you have a happiness stake in being as healthy as you can be. However, none of us can be defined by a single characteristic, so none of us should let any single attribute make us feel like we are "less than." And last, everyone will feel better when practicing good health behaviors, no matter our weight.