About Workplace Obesity - Do You Need To Be Thin To Win?
Do personal appearance play a role in getting promoted? Does your personal level of fitness qualify you as an effective leader?
Research conducted at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) can shed some light on these questions. This research looked at the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and leadership behavior feedback results for 757 executives between 2006 and 2010. They found out that overweight executives tended to get lower leadership behavior ratings from others.
In other words, fatter leaders tended to be seen as less effective in the eyes of their co-workers.
Although workplace obesity is a taboo subject in most organizations, this research shows that personal appearance MATTERS when it comes to hiring and promotion decisions.
Actual data shows that very few Fortune 500 CEOs are overweight. The CCL researchers attribute this to the fact that people at the top need to be in good shape to handle the high workloads and travel schedules associated with these jobs.
But is this really true? Or does bias play a role in determining who gets to the top?
Do thin people have a clear advantage when it comes to getting results as leaders?
source
Source: L. Kwoh, “Want to Be CEO? What’s Your BMI?” The Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2013, pp. B1, B6.
Obesity at work will always be taboo.
Nuances will always exist and the higher you are in the food chain you can get help to be fit.
I will say it is a minus to be promoted.
Keep on postin
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