Two thousand HR professionals completed a survey conducted by the HR journal, Personnel Today, showed the following outcome:

• 12% suggested that obese workers are not suitable for client-facing roles
• 93% would employ the 'normal weight' person and only 7% would employ the obese one
• 30% agreed that 'obesity is a valid medical reason for not employing a person'
• 47% thought obesity negatively affected employee output
• 11% thought employers could fairly dismiss people just because they were obese

There is no legislature against ‘fattism’, however, an organisation cannot make a decision about an employee's career based on the person’s size. To do so the organisation must prove the person’s weight has a negative impact on the business. All the more reason to use the telephone interview to screen all staff – it ensures that you get the best person for the job based on skills not appearance.