Are weight loss injections fuelling workplace bias and discrimination?

Women are shrinking. Adverts for Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro injections from private clinics are all over our social media platforms. On the red carpet, sharp collarbones are as common as haute couture. And with GLP-1 pills now approved in the UK, the trend for drastic weight loss is likely to grow.

For some, the medications are a lifeline. But their widespread popularity, and their misuse, runs the risk of exacerbating a problem faced by huge numbers of working women – size discrimination.

Weight bias remains a big problem, despite the rise of ‘body positivity’ movements online. In a 2021 survey, which involved 14,000 people across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the US who were participating in a weight management programme, 58% said they had experienced weight stigma from their colleagues. 

A key problem is that body size and appearance are still often linked to personality traits, despite a lack of evidence to support these assumptions. Research shows that people frequently associate larger bodies with characteristics such as laziness and poor self-discipline. For example, one study found that job applicants described as "overweight" were perceived as "less conscientious, less agreeable, less emotionally stable, and less extraverted" than their peers.

“There is still a strong, often unspoken link between appearance and perceived capability,” says Victoria McLean, an executive career coach and CEO of Hanover Talent Solutions and City CV.

“Employers tend to favour people who look ‘healthy’ and as though they take care of themselves, and that quickly becomes a proxy for discipline, energy, initiative, enthusiasm, capability and reliability. Perception alone can influence decisions, even when it is not grounded in reality.”

(Vaitkevich/Pexels)

These assumptions aren’t based on reality, but they have a very real impact on women’s careers. Recent studies show women who weigh more are paid less, experience lower wage growth and have fewer advancement opportunities compared to their peers. A 2012 study of HR professionals showed they were more likely to disqualify obese people from being hired and less likely to nominate them for supervisory positions.

Deepening existing biases

The ‘thin ideal’ and the increasing misuse of weight-loss medications add yet another dimension of bias to workplaces already rife with inequity. Women are held to higher standards, face greater scrutiny, evaluated more critically and penalised more harshly for mistakes in the workplace than men.

And, they’re exposed more often to sexism and microaggressions. Already, women have to over-prepare, over-perform and self-censor simply to be seen as credible – and the pressure to look a certain way adds more pressure.

Someone’s body shape shouldn’t tell us anything about their professional capability. Yet the popularity of weight loss medications risks reinforcing the message that thinner bodies are more desirable, successful or worthy of respect, both professionally and socially.

Becky Jones, an anti-diet coach at The Empower Coach, says we only have to look at the catwalk and media to see that ultra-thin is currently the newest body trend.

“It upsets me because there shouldn't be trends around women's body shapes,” she says. “These standards are set and create societal norms. Women feel that unless they hit these trends, they're not successful, they're not accepted, and they'll never be worthy.”

(Wocintechchat/Unsplash)

Jones points to ‘objectification theory’, introduced by Barbara Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts in 1997, which suggests women internalise societal expectations about their appearance, leading to body shame, anxiety and poorer mental wellbeing. Research has also found that repeated exposure to the thin ideal, for example, on social media, is linked to negative body image and weight cycling.

“I speak to women every day who are already feeling the pressure for not meeting this standard,” says Jones. “Women are expected to meet a certain societal standard to be more accepted and create more opportunities in the workplace.”

Double standards

At the same time, McLean adds, another new form of bias is emerging. A study by Rice University published earlier this year found that people who lose weight using GLP-1 drugs may actually face more judgment than those who lose weight through diet and exercise – or even those who don’t lose weight at all. 

“There's a narrative that using these medications is 'taking the easy way out,'” says Rice University researcher Eric Standen, who led the study. “And that belief seems to shape how people are judged.”

What employers can do to address weight bias

The responsibility for creating fairer workplaces ultimately lies with employers. Organisations have a crucial role to play in ensuring that decisions about hiring, promotion, pay and professional development are based on skills, performance and potential, not assumptions about appearance.

"Women are expected to meet a certain societal standard to be more accepted and create more opportunities in the workplace"

Becky Jones, The Empower Coach

According to McLean, one of the most effective ways to reduce bias is to make recruitment and progression processes as structured and evidence-based as possible.

“One thing is clear – the more subjective the hiring process, the more these biases creep in,” she says. “Organisations need to score people’s responses objectively, rather than relying on fit.”

Lots of employers talk about the ‘fit’ of employees, but this runs the risk of relying on instinctive judgements about who appears confident, credible or leadership-ready. And these snap assessments are usually influenced by our unconscious biases, including stereotypes about body size. You only have to look at women’s magazines in the early 2000s to understand how ‘fatphobia’ is entrenched in society.

So what do employers need to do to address size - or more generally, appearance - bias? First, they need to use clear competency frameworks that define exactly what success looks like in a role. In job interviews, all candidates should be asked the same core questions and assess responses against consistent criteria. Additionally, structured interviews and objective scoring systems leave less room for personal assumptions to influence decisions.

Beyond recruitment, leaders should also examine how weight bias may be influencing their workplace culture more broadly. This might include a self-assessment. Do you make assumptions about people’s abilities based on how they look? If so, you need to start challenging them.

And, if you’re an employer, make sure your team receives training on unconscious bias, frequently review decisions on promotions, pay and performance, and create mechanisms that hold decision-makers accountable for fair and evidence-based judgments.