Does being extra heavy or obese hinder the
opportunity of getting a job or moving up the work ladder? A recent
study conducted at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, shows
that, yes, obesity can and does have a denigrating effect in the
workplace.
“There are a whole set of stereotypes that go along with being
overweight, and a lot of them transfer into the workplace in terms
of people’s judgment about others’ abilities and appearance in
relation to job performance,” said doctoral candidate Cort Rudolph.
Click for Only US Jobs Here...
Researchers have studied the effects of weight–based bias in the workplace for more than 30 years, and Rudolph has completed a meta–analysis of many of the findings. “The results have been consistent. People who are overweight are viewed more negatively in the workplace than those who are of average weight, which is not surprising based on what we know about weight-based stereotypes,” he said.
Some of the basic stereotypes associated with being overweight
include laziness, sloppiness, untidiness and lack of self–discipline
and control. Overweight people are also regularly labeled as having
increased health problems, which is an issue often considered
cumbersome by organizations.
Rudolph will present his findings at the upcoming conference of the
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), April
10–12, in San Francisco.
But there is some good news for overweight employees. The bias effect tends to decrease as people’s tenure with an organization increases, Rudolph said.
In his study he found that stereotypes are most prominent in the
initial selection process. Body weight seems to be less of a factor
at the performance evaluation stage, and stereotypes have a minimum
influence when it comes to promotions.
He also found that weight–based bias seems to be stronger as the
amount of interaction with others, like customers, increases. For
example, the effects of negative stereotypes appear more significant
for face–to–face sales positions.
So how severe is the influence of body weight in the workplace?
Jobs for only US Citizen- Click here...