Anti-fatphobia author wrote this oped for NBC THINK warned its readers about the difficulties in promoting health The workplace Marginalize people who are fat.
“As a fat person, I hate the first few weeks of January with a fiery passion,” Kate Bernyk, communication strategist wrote. “Following every holiday season, there’s seemingly no escape from the weight loss industrial complex.”
Benryk rails against health Initiatives in the workplace, noting that it can’t be ignored like social media posts.
“I might be able to easily report social ads and mute friends, but how do I escape an email from human resources encouraging staff to join a team weight loss challenge with monthly weigh-ins?” She was curious. “Or a boss who encourages her whole team to buy Fitbits so we can compete on daily steps? (Both were real things that happened at two of my former jobs.)”
Author suggested fat Americans be part of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
“Employers seem to rarely consider fat people when putting together their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals,” Benryk wrote. “But creating a space for plus-size employees to feel welcome has just as much to do with diversity and inclusion as any other group.”
Further, the author claimed that “fat is not a reliable indicator of health,” And that “fatphobic-related measures like BMI and fat percentage” Unreliable methods for assessing health.
Benryk suggested what employers should do instead.
“Weight discrimination and anti-fat bias could be included in workplace harassment training,” Sie wrote. “And any workplace wellness program that specifically incentivizes weight loss should be acknowledged as harmful and ended immediately.”
She stated that she should not associate her weight with her performance in her chosen field.
“The size of my body has nothing to do with my work. I recognize this sometimes may not be true for certain professions (one of many fine reasons I’m not a jockey or a cave diver),” Later, she claimed her usefulness by writing. “cannot be measured by a scale.”
