Employee view of a Fat Person

Overweight Americans face discrimination every day. This type of discrimination is a violation of The Civil Rights Act of 1964(Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000 et seq.) which “established basic federal law on employment discrimination” (http://www.obesity.org/discrimination/employment.shtml). Three major factors contribute to being overweight. These factors are hereditary, medication and ethnicity.

An obese person may be entitled to claim disability payments from the Social Security Administration. Discrimination against an employee for being overweight would be wrong when the Social Security Administration recognizes obesity as a disability.

Adults who qualify for disability claim it for muscle or skeletal complications. Severe obesity inflicts the body with pain and affects normal daily activities. When severely obese people find performance in their occupation of choice is compromised and qualifies for disability. Individuals use disability programs for assistance when they cannot commit to normal employment. “The American Obesity Association defends the rights of disabled persons with obesity, because obesity: is a disease, is the second leading cause of premature death, can cause many health conditions such as diabetes and coronary heart disease, is a source of stigmatization and discrimination, can lead to a poor quality of life and impaired mobility, can cause physical and emotional pain that can be disabling” (http://www.obesity.org/subs/disability).

Companies should not discriminate against anyone with this type of disability since the Social Security Administration considers obesity a disability. If an obese person can do her job without any inabilities, there should be no reason for an overweight employee to be dismissed.

Obesity is a factor of a heredity condition. Obesity is defined “as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal according to standard age, height, and weight tables, or by a complex formula known as the body mass index”

(http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=/ssi/o1/obesity.html). This condition runs in families but does not mean an individual is predisposed to it. Some contributing factors to obesity are sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits. The environmental factor that contributes to overweight problems includes little or no physical activity. Most adults working long hours do not have time for physical activities. Companies should promote physical activities within the organization to help employees become more active.

Psychological factors influence eating habits. Employees who become depressed will overeat. Negative emotions including boredom, sadness, or anger may influence employees eating habits. Employers should offer mental health programs to assist employees when dealing with emotional situations.

Certain medications are known to increase weight.