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<\/div>\n?Employees can still be fired for being overweight in most areas in the U.S. But several cities and states have introduced or passed legislation to end that practice.<\/p>\n
New York City is considering a bill<\/a> that would prohibit discrimination based on height or weight in employment, housing and access to public accommodations. The Washington Post<\/em> reported that the measure will be voted on in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Shaun Abreu, a New York City Council member who introduced the bill, told The<\/em><\/a> New<\/em> York Times<\/em> that after he gained 40 pounds, he noticed that people treated him differently, touching his stomach and commenting on his weight.<\/p>\n “Body discrimination denies people necessary, even lifesaving, medical treatment; contributes to financial inequality; and creates serious mental health challenges,” Abreu said during a February rally<\/a> on the steps of New York City Hall.<\/p>\n Other U.S. cities and states are addressing this increasingly important workplace issue:<\/p>\n Erin Dougherty Foley, an attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago, said health issues that cause or contribute to obesity could be considered a protected health condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act.<\/p>\n “Employers need to tread carefully,” she said. “All employers need to engage in the interactive process<\/a> with employees who suggest they may need some type of an accommodation, and to train their managers to be open to trigger phrases that might suggest that interactive process needs to take place.”<\/p>\n New SHRM Research Examines Weight Bias<\/p>\n Rebecca Puhl, a professor at the University of Connecticut and deputy director of the university’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, said weight discrimination in employment has been documented for several decades.<\/p>\n “It can be present in different ways in the workplace, including unfair hiring practices, such as refusing to hire qualified job applicants because of their body size; fewer promotions; stigma or stereotypes from co-workers and supervisors; and wrongful job termination,” she said.<\/p>\n New SHRM survey<\/a>s of HR professionals, people managers and employees examined weight bias in the workplace:<\/p>\n Several additional reports exemplify the prevalence of weight bias at work:<\/p>\n Additionally, women who were considered overweight made less money and were more likely to work in lower-paying and physically demanding jobs than female colleagues who were considered average weight and male colleagues of any weight, according to a 2014 study by Vanderbilt University<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5 Ways to Combat Weight Discrimination at Work<\/p>\n Mary Himmelstein, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Kent State University in Ohio, has co-authored several studies on weight stigma. She offered five tips for employers to prevent weight discrimination at work:<\/p>\n “If health is the ultimate goal, then focusing on healthy behaviors rather than body weight is important,” Himmelstein said. “This includes focusing on improving nutrition, decreasing smoking [and] increasing exercise rather than simply focusing only on the number on the scale.”<\/p>\n Puhl noted that employers must educate themselves and their workforces about weight discrimination, including both explicit and implicit bias, and its harmful consequences.<\/p>\n “Very often, weight stigma is absent as a topic in workplace diversity and anti-harassment training initiatives,” she said. “There are clear opportunities to include weight discrimination in these trainings to promote awareness and education for employees.”<\/p>\n\n
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