Being unable/unwilling to work is one aspect of obesity in regard to employment. However the elephant in the room is how obese people make themselves less employable simply by being obese. As an employer, I've experienced the effects of employing obese workers. Many (most?) employers would agree with me. Faced with employing an obese person with the same skills/qualities/qualifications as a non-obese person, the skinnier one wins. Reasons are varied. Obese people almost always have other morbidities that cause them to take more sick days than others, have more medical appointments etc . and ultimately cost you money. They are also more likely to cause friction with co-workers for a multitude of reasons - from the temperature set on the office A/C to the inability to lift something, climb a ladder, or even fit into a company uniform. I had one bloke that managed to collapse three office chairs over a six-month period. Call me a bigot, but these are the employment truths - albeit anecdotally over a 40-year period. After having employed hundreds of people I have taken the chance on a number of obese employees, and been let down in every case. There was a time when you could take them out in the yard and suggest that if they wanted to apply for another job that you'd give them a glowing reference - can't do that these days.
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