SIZE BIAS IN THE WORKPLACE AND HOW TO TACKLE IT
A new research conducted by Linkedin has suggested that there are millions of folks missing out on job opportunities which could be easily accessed if the challenge of size bias in the workplace is tackled appropriately.
Additionally, over 56% of the employees that underwent the survey revealed that they were suffering from a dearth of talents because of the discrimination being meted out to individuals due to their weight.
Meanwhile, according to 16% of employers, those who are overweight don’t suffer any bias. Speaking of bias, online casinos like NetBet where you can catch fun like do not care about the size of their players.
In the same vein, research carried out by professionals and unemployed folks in the United Kingdom has shown that obese workers earn £1,940 lesser than their slimmer colleagues on a yearly basis.
The findings from BMI also revealed that the situation is not constant as it varies from time to time, with a whopping 68% of employers expressing the belief that size discrimination has decreased or remained constant over the past 5 years.
According to the findings, advancements in technology have enabled it to become a driver of positive change.
This is because 23% of employers recommended virtual reality assessments while 19% suggested screening of candidates by bots as the best ways to move forward.
The research also revealed that employers would prefer hiring a candidate that’s considered overweight to one who dresses too casually (38%), with dyed hair (28%) and visible tattoos (23%).
Moving forward on possible solutions to the issue, three suggestions were made and they are explained below:
- Adopt the same measures in handling other issues of diversity in tackling size diversity. This can be accomplished by making size diversity a part of your policy and also mention metrics that can be used to measure progress. Also, endeavor to treat all employees in the same manner irrespective of their weight.
- Try as much as possible to ensure that your job descriptions do not comprise of requirements bordering on physicality and weight. Toe the line of sensitivity when trying to deploy a wellness and health program for the staff. Basically, just ensure that you do not place any major emphasis on weight loss or physical appearance.
- Educate your staff on what is appropriate and inappropriate with regards to language in their conversation about other colleagues as well as and with colleagues. This must be done with an emphasis on body shaming.
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