Should Employers Dictate Your Weight?

The Mrs · #1 07-25-2013, 07:08 PM

Was watching Greta Wire yesterday and she had a poll on her website.

So do you think your employer should be able to tell you how much you can weigh?

I wondered what my friends at AFF would think about this.

Here is a comment I posted there:

Quote:

Jellybean•

I guess I don't understand...are we saying that employees have rights, but employers do not? What happened to the employer's rights? If I were an employer, I'd like to have the RIGHT to choose what/how my employees (who represent me and my company) look like. It's my name/company/reputation and money that's on the line. Why are employer's rights being trampled and discarded?

I was also a little surprised to see what seems like an entitlement attitude pervade the comments. 'Those employers are lucky to have us and shouldn't dictate what we look like.'

Praxeas · #2 07-25-2013, 08:31 PM

I guess it depends on the job

odooley6985 · #3 07-26-2013, 08:25 AM

No. Instead they should do what my company does, give you money to do something healthy. I get up 250 dollars a year to join a gym

ILG · #4 07-26-2013, 09:21 AM

No way.

Nitehawk013 · #5 07-26-2013, 09:45 AM

Im with the Mrs.

Where in the world did we get this sense of entitlement? If I get a job, I am likely NOT the boss or owner. I work for THEM. If they as the owners of the company decide that employees will need to fit certain criteria for a job, then they should have that right. If they decide that they want employees to lose weight and be healthier so they can save money on insurance costs as well as help the company image...good for them. They have the right and they should be free to enforce it. And they shouldn't have to pay for my gym membership either.

If I as an employee do not like their policy, I have the right to find employment elsewhere. Or I can get on board, lose the weight and be healthier and happier that I am taking better care of myself.

If a job had the criteria that I need to have a 4 year degree to hold it I wouldn't have the right to say "they shouldn't be allowed to tell me what I do with my life outside of work. If I don't want to have a college degree they can't make me" and still expect them to employ me.

We wonder why companies want to do business in other countries. Maybe they are sick and tired of the attitude of the American worker.

Pressing-On · #6 07-26-2013, 09:47 AM

I agree with TheMrs. It is on the same lines, IMO, as renting or selling your house or property. You should be able to decide who you want to rent or sell to.

Sweet Pea · #7 07-26-2013, 11:01 AM

If they hired you overweight - they have no right to hire you and then tell you to lose weight.

If you gain weight after hiring, this is a very fine line to walk. I know to many of us it always seems a cop-out - but there ARE physical causes for weight gain. There are also medications that cause weight gain.

I'm all for being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, but I'm sorry - I don't think that every situation by every employer gives them the right to tell a person how much they should or shouldn't weight.

FlamingZword · #8 07-26-2013, 11:18 AM

It depends

If there is a safety issue or some type of actual legitimate reason for not hiring overweight people, then it is understandable.

Otherwise why should they care what a person weights if the person can do the Job.

If it is an issue of health insurance, then charge extra for each factor that makes a person more costly.
If a person smokes
If a person is overweight
If a person engages in risky sports
and so on.

FlamingZword · #9 07-26-2013, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

Im with the Mrs.

Where in the world did we get this sense of entitlement? If I get a job, I am likely NOT the boss or owner. I work for THEM. If they as the owners of the company decide that employees will need to fit certain criteria for a job, then they should have that right. If they decide that they want employees to lose weight and be healthier so they can save money on insurance costs as well as help the company image...good for them. They have the right and they should be free to enforce it. And they shouldn't have to pay for my gym membership either.

If I as an employee do not like their policy, I have the right to find employment elsewhere. Or I can get on board, lose the weight and be healthier and happier that I am taking better care of myself.

If a job had the criteria that I need to have a 4 year degree to hold it I wouldn't have the right to say "they shouldn't be allowed to tell me what I do with my life outside of work. If I don't want to have a college degree they can't make me" and still expect them to employ me.

We wonder why companies want to do business in other countries. Maybe they are sick and tired of the attitude of the American worker.

What if I decide as an employer not to hire black people, what about no Irish need apply, or maybe no Italians, how about no Mexicans, or no person over 50, how about not hiring anyone with a disability?

I actually had a racist boss who did not want to interview someone because that person was probably black, well I reported my boss, and the person was interviewed and hired, by the way the person turned out to be Asian.

It should only be related to job performance, if it is not related to a job requirements then there is no basis for such requirement and should be illegal.

ILG · #10 07-26-2013, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweet Pea

If they hired you overweight - they have no right to hire you and then tell you to lose weight.

Right. They choose who they hire. People are discriminated against for their weight when they are hired in the first place. Now employers SHOULD be able to choose that, although EOE tries to keep that from happening but it does anyway. Employers CHOOSE who they hire. They should not be able to tell them to lose weight after the fact. IMO.