Fat chance of a job?

Fat people turned down for jobs because employers think they will be lazy

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:04 PM on 13th January 2010

• Comments (-)
  
• Add to My Stories
  

Overlooked: A fat office worker sits at his desk. One in 10 managers has turned down a candidate because of their weight

Overweight people lose out in the workplace because employers assume they will be lazy, a study has revealed.

Very overweight workers earn less than other staff and are more likely to be bullied or overlooked for promotion, a survey of 2,000 people by Slimming World found.

In the poll of 200 bosses, a quarter of men said they would turn down a candidate purely on their weight and one in 10 admitted they had already done so.

The most overweight people were most likely to dread applying for a new job.

Jacquie Lavin, Slimming World's head of nutrition and research, said: 'You need confidence and support to achieve success in anything, whether it's losing weight or climbing the career ladder.

'It's unfortunate that only 16 per cent of people who are obese feel supported by their work colleagues in their efforts to lose weight and disappointing that one in four say they have suffered negative comments about their weight while at work.

'This survey provides one of the greatest indications yet of the scale of obesity discrimination in the workplace.'