Job posting- "Must not be overweight"

diva rn, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

Yes I saw the same job listing on craigslist yesterday!! Don't forget he said you must be close to his age (he is in his late 20s), like to listen to rock music & possibly hang out with him @ night..and love dogs. Did you visit his website?
Anyways, I think that not only the job posting was offensive..but the pay was sort of an insult for any LPN or RN in this area!

OMG, I wonder what else he wants besides private duty nursing, maybe private modeling??? Running right over to apply for that one....yuck....what a turn off, yeah, I always hang out with my patients after hours.... :eek:

(well, I do love dogs)

avionics · Sep 3, 2011

While I admit this is a ridiculous job posting, most likely a joke, I don't think discriminating against someone for their physical condition is illegal outside of an actual recognized disability.

I know a facility could get into serious trouble for using ethnicity, age, recognized disability or gender as hiring criteria, but I don't think there are any actual laws regarding physical conditioning or obesity as a hiring factor. Thus we may not like it but there is little we can actually do about it other than not work there.

I still fear this may become a real requirement in the near future with the focus employers are starting to put on their group insurance rates. I think it likely that it is already a hidden factor in many interviewer's minds but there is currently no real defense against it. Much like smoking, obesity will likely soon be an acknowledged factor rather than just an unspoken one in hiring decisions.

Please don't flame me for stating the obvious unless you read the entire post. I am not agreeing with it, just pointing out that it is likely to be a future issue we should be ready for.

sweetnurse63, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

I recently read an ad looking for nurses to go over saudi arabia, if i am not mistaking. The job posting listed high pay, great benefits free housing and more incentives; but at the end of the add, it said that the nurses would have to be in their homes at a certain time, not mix with the opposite sex, whole body must be covered, can wear scrubs only in the hospital, but one of the biggest shockers to me was, YOUR BMI (body mass index) must be in an acceptable range!!! :uhoh3: All i could say was WOOOOOOOW, that leaves me out and thank God it is not like that where i am, i guess that would leave a lot of people without jobs. :eek:

Lynx25, LPN · Sep 3, 2011

I recently read an ad looking for nurses to go over saudi arabia, if i am not mistaking. The job posting listed high pay, great benefits free housing and more incentives; but at the end of the add, it said that the nurses would have to be in their homes at a certain time, not mix with the opposite sex, whole body must be covered, can wear scrubs only in the hospital, but one of the biggest shockers to me was, YOUR BMI (body mass index) must be in an acceptable range!!! All i could say was WOOOOOOOW, that leaves me out and thank God it is not like that where i am, i guess that would leave a lot of people without jobs.

That sounds more like a cultural requirement though... everything but the BMI, don't know about that one.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

This must be a private home or something, because correct me if I am wrong but doesn't that spell LAWSUIT????
Might as well say must not be too old, too tall, too black, too brown, too yellow, too short, speak with an accent, have armpit hair and not shave your legs....
A legit facility would NEVER post that!

Technically.......obesity isn't a protected classification. So if they say "No overweight smokers".......they can:devil: we need to be concerned, very concerned.

caliotter3 · Sep 3, 2011

I've seen that posting on craigslist more than once. While that may be their way of posting a job requirement, it rates their ad right up there with "send a photograph" for me. I would never consider responding to that ad.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

" Must not be overweight".

Since two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight or obese, this essentially means that two-thirds of the population would be ineligible for this job posting.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

I was looking at a job posting looking that was looking for a PDN for a quad. The person posting the ad said " Must not be overweight".
Um... define overweight?
Well that disqualifies me and a bunch of other nurses, geesh.

I strongly suspect this requirement is due to the patient's desires and has very little to do with the job requirements.

Isabelle49 · Sep 3, 2011

Weight is not protected by antidiscrimination laws.

leslie :-D · Sep 3, 2011

Yes I saw the same job listing on craigslist yesterday!! Don't forget he said you must be close to his age (he is in his late 20s), like to listen to rock music & possibly hang out with him @ night..and love dogs. Did you visit his website?

if it's advertised on craigslist, it's no wonder such bs was included.

those people advertise everything...one ad even resulted in a woman being murdered.

leslie

Altra, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2011

Another outstanding example of the reliability of using craigslist as an employment venue ... :rolleyes:

Job seekers: if you are unable / unwilling to get an actual newspaper ... use the computer to search for hospitals/LTCs/physician offices/etc. in your area, go to their individual websites to glean addresses, phone numbers, verifiable means of submitting applications online, etc.

Craigslist? Really?

caliotter3 · Sep 3, 2011

Yes. Craigslist, really. I found a job there. Legitimate employers use it to avoid advertising costs.