Job posting- "Must not be overweight"

[NurseLoveJoy88]

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.

[belgarion]

Many jobs have requirements regarding fitness. The military comes to mind. Police and fire departments make candidates pass a physical agility test before they are even considered. I do wonder what would happen if the cops and firefighters already on the job had to pass the same test to remain employed.

Point is, while the ad is disgusting and discriminatory, it probably doesn't rise to the level of being illegal.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Not just a healthy BMI. They have specific weight limits (some have height limits as well). These weights are used to calculate fuel requirement and determine if it's safe to fly. I have switched partners before when it was hot outside and the pilot determined he needed to reduce crew weight (I was switched for the good reason:D). They aren't kidding about this. We actually got weighed and if you were over you didn't fly. Most places limit it at around 250# but that's in full flight gear with helmet and our equipment weighed a lot! It was tough for some of the bigger guys. Not to mention the small cabin space. You have to be able to maneuver around.

When I was a kid, I babysat for a flight attendant (back when they were "stewardesses") and she'd tell me about that. It's not about aesthetics if the plane can't get off the runway :)

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Many jobs have requirements regarding fitness. The military comes to mind. Police and fire departments make candidates pass a physical agility test before they are even considered. I do wonder what would happen if the cops and firefighters already on the job had to pass the same test to remain employed.

Point is, while the ad is disgusting and discriminatory, it probably doesn't rise to the level of being illegal.

OP didn't mention illegal.... that came up later :)

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

:igtsyt:

I guess I'll be the bad guy here. Why is it offensive to ask an employee to maintain a healthy weight? You can ask an employee not smoke. So what's the difference? It's a health issue. Obesity is a big issue now. And, if losing weight meant that I would be a better candidate for the job, I would shed pounds ASAP.

Okay, fire away...

No fire :)

But, it's not always as easy as just losing it ASAP. Yes, diet and activity changes are needed- but there are situations where just losing it is incredibly difficult if not downright impossible. Due to some health issues, I had to adjust my insulin a year or so ago. I gained a fair amount of weight, and did NOTHING besides change the insulin- and take the meds required for the other stuff. No increased eating, no change in activity to speak of. Not enough to amount to what I gained. A month ago, my blood sugars were starting to level out a bit, so I backed off of my insulin (Lantus dose)- and within a month lost 10 pounds...no other changes.

Not saying this to you specifically- but nobody knows what is going on with people. I AGREE that some jobs must absolutely have weight requirements no matter what, health issues or not- it's safety for the job. People can want to lose weight, and do all the right things, and still not lose the weight that "should" go along with what they are eating/doing.

The yutz in the op sounds more like an a$$hole. IMO. :)

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

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.

While this is a shockingly sad statistic, it means my chances of getting in a bird are better

[miss_meg]

Wow, that employer is asking for a discrimination lawsuit! I agree with the previous poster who said that this cannot possibly be an established, legitimate business. No one with any professional business experience would ever put that in writing!

Before getting into nursing school I applied for a manager position at a small family owned business and was asked all the following questions:

1. How old are you?

2. Do you have kids, if yes how many and what ages?

3. Are you married?

4. Are you on welfare or have you ever been?

I just left shaking my head. There's no way I could have worked for people like that. They had absolutely no idea what they were doing.

[groberts1998]

A better way to word that would have been "weight must be commensurate with your height and frame." I have no beef with overweight folks and have many friends that are overweight that I truly love, however, carrying extra weight is not like being blonde or whatever other parallel anyone might try to draw. Being physically fit is nothing to take lightly in terms of good health and ability for example. I do agree that it is still not a smart thing to put in an advertisement because most people think they are overweight even if they are not. Just saying.....

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

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!!!l

Actually that is pretty standard for many ME assignments. Even if it is not listed in stateside ads, there is frequent discrimination there regarding age, weight and/or appearance.

The pay rates also vary by nation of origin. It is notorious for paying US/UK nurses a higher wage than say Asian/Philippine nurses.

[kcmylorn]

I think I'd have responded to ad- Are you planning on chasing the nurse around the bed?-

Condoning the taking of one groups rights, opens the door for taking many more persons rights. Especially gone unchallenged. Smokers rights,

I need Vanna for a letter to my keyboard.

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

I also forgot to mention this in my last post. The person placing the ad appeared (from the pics on his website) to be a quadriplegic. I'm sure he's been faced with a lot of discrimination in his life..so I wonder why he would go out of his way & discriminate against such a large group of people?

[SeeTheMoon]

It's not only discriminatory, it's illegal to post it that way. They can imply similar info by stating that the applicant be fit for duties involved.

Maybe it's tight quarters and they have found that larger people don't fit. Still not right to post 'overweight'. I say lots of 'overweight' nurses should apply. Tell them you are not overweight, you are 'undertall'.

:lol2:

[Pneumothorax, BSN, RN]

i hope the complete opposite of what the poster wants is all that applies...