Research published in the Middle East Journal of Management has looked at the discrimination and bias experienced by overweight and obese people during recruitment and in the workplace setting.
Ali Junaid Khan, Ezza Naseem, Jawad Iqbal, and Muhammad Farooq of the Institute of Business, Management and Administrative Sciences at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, in Pakistan and Muhammad Akbar Ali Ansari of the University’s Department of Commerce found that there is a significant degree of bigotry against people with obesity.
The team surveyed employees working in the banking sector and analysed the results using structured equation modelling. They found that people who are overweight or obese experience discrimination during the hiring process and then feel less accepted than others once they are recruited into a role. They commonly report that they feel as if other people perceive them as being lazy, lacking self-discipline, and incompetent.
The team suggests that the stereotypes and negative attitudes towards overweight people they have found have several implications for policymakers in the banking sector. They suggest that there is an urgent need to “revise recruitment policies, provide equal employment opportunities, and promote a healthy environment.” This awareness is necessary to help the sector educate their employees and to eradicate harmful stereotypes.
Khan, A.J., Naseem, E., Iqbal, J., Ansari, M.A.A. and Farooq, M. (2023) ‘Is being obese a crime? An examination of hiring and workplace discrimination’, Middle East J. Management, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.34–50.