This Overlooked Form Of Career Discrimination Creates Mental Health Problems, Study Shows

Toxicity in the workplace is a monster with many heads: Unfairness, mistreatment, discrimination, harassment, offensiveness and oppression. And it has many faces. In addition to gender, race, age and sexual orientation, studies show that size discrimination is also rampant in the workplace.

TalentLMS and CultureAmp conducted a survey built upon the “The Big Five” framework for identifying toxicity, examining how frequently related behaviors occur. Key findings include:

• 42% of respondents say that managers in tech companies with toxic work cultures are frequently inconsiderate and disrespectful of employees.
• 40% of employees report that these incidents happen frequently, while 22% say they happen sometimes.
• 43% say discrimination and unfair treatment because of employees’ age happens frequently.
• 42% mention employees’ race as the most frequent reason.
• 41% say that discrimination and unfair treatment is frequently based on employees’ gender.

Weight Discrimination In The Workplace

One form of discrimination that often flies under the radar in a toxic work culture is size discrimination. Within Health surveyed 1,006 full-time employed Americans (67% men, 33% women, and 33.5% of respondents in larger bodies). The study found that employees in larger bodies report earning on average seven percent less in raises than other employees. Additional takeaways from the study include:

• 61% of employees in larger bodies believe their body size factored into whether they received a promotion.
• 32% of workers in larger bodies are less likely to get promoted.
• 27% in larger bodies say they are less likely to quit or get laid off (12% less).
• 68% of remote employees try to hide their full body on video calls.

The study concluded that body size issues can affect workers, whether it’s because of outright discrimination, unspoken bias or personal insecurities. Size discrimination can increase stress and make it harder for some people to get ahead in their careers—especially since workers felt that body size factored into the decisions behind their promotions and raises.

Employers Can Create A Size-Inclusive Work Culture

Good talent comes in all shapes and sizes. A one-size-fits-all culture will no longer work with new graduates beginning their careers, seeking inclusion of all kinds. The Within Health study recommends that managers and employees recognize any biases they may hold against others based on body size and work to overcome them in order to improve their workplaces. In addition, it recommends workers focus on healthy coping strategies for managing stress and maintaining a healthy body image. Employees may be unable to control their work environment, the study concludes, but nurturing mental health makes work a healthier place for everyone to thrive.

In May of this year, the New York City Council approved a bill prohibiting discrimination based on a person’s weight or height in employment, housing and access to public accommodations. “No one should ever be discriminated against based on their height and weight,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. ““It shouldn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh when you’re looking for a job, are out on the town or trying to rent an apartment.”

Addressing weight discrimination is long overdue, explains Amy Kim, president and chief revenue officer at PowertoFly, especially regarding hiring. "It's important that we address all forms of discrimination, and weight discrimination is no exception," says Kim. "A person's body shape should not affect their ability to obtain or maintain employment and housing. The passing of this bill would be another step forward in the fight to eliminate discrimination and promote inclusion. Companies need to hire the best of the best, and top talent comes in all shapes and sizes."

According to Milena Berry, CEO of PowerToFly, creating a diverse work culture isn’t just about hiring. Diverse hiring does not equate to a diverse team. Inclusiveness must be sustained on a regular basis. Diverse teams require diverse support systems, and Berry believes this is where many companies fall flat. “There is plenty of top talent in underrepresented communities, but they need to be supported and nurtured properly within a company to continue to perform at their best,” she notes. “This means that as a company’s early career talent becomes more diverse, support systems need to be more varied. A generic, one-size-fits-all approach will not fit the incoming generation of workers.” In light of grad season and the interest in hiring diverse talent, Milena shares three best practices to support diverse top talent:

1. “Clear Career Pathing. Underrepresented talent are less likely to understand what promotions are available to them. Clarifying career path options removes a lot of questions and unease.
2. Mentorship, Redefined. Traditional mentorships are powerful, but reverse mentorship, when the tables turn and early-career talent are the ones answering questions and advising more experienced workers, can have a major impact, too.
3. Champion Reflection Time. This looks like facilitating connection between employees with similar experiences as well as opportunities for people to talk and share their experiences with people who don’t have the same background.”

I spoke with Dimitris Tsingos, co-founder and President at Epignosis, the parent company behind TalentLMS. He cites four actions business leaders can take to create a bias-free company.

1. Establish clear policies. The first and most critical action employers should take is to establish clear and comprehensive policies and guidelines on discrimination, harassment and bias in the workplace. And not just for compliance purposes. These policies should be regularly updated and communicated to all employees. Training programs and courses that focus on creating awareness, promoting respect, and informing employees on their rights and how to report and address discrimination issues and unconscious bias will ensure that everyone is aligned.
2. Prioritize diversity in recruitment. Equally important is to prioritize diversity and inclusion in the recruitment and hiring processes. Employers should actively seek to create a diverse workforce that represents different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. And also take diversity and inclusion into account in promotions and career development opportunities. An inclusive workplace where employees feel fairly treated cannot be achieved if leadership and managerial positions are dominated by a specific gender or race.
3. Create open communication. Overall employers should create a culture of open communication, where employees feel comfortable raising concerns and reporting incidents of discrimination or unfair treatment without fear of retaliation. To achieve this, management and leadership must take such reports seriously, investigate them thoroughly, and take appropriate actions to address the issues and prevent them from happening again.
4. Practice authentic caring. Last but not least, there can be no better guideline than to care in real for the well-being of your employees on all dimensions. They will acknowledge, respect and reward it.