Weight Discrimination: The Next Workplace Brouhaha‪?‬

ABSTRACT Just as it seemed impolite twenty years ago to question the financial efficacy of accommodating smokers in the workplace, it seems impolite today to suggest that obesity, or even lesser levels of excess weight, is a financial and productivity issue that must be addressed in employment policies. Yet that inevitable day is coming. Just as with smoking two decades ago, the effects of obesity on business cost functions are staggering. The soaring costs of medical care exacerbate this dilemma, as obesity-related diseases and infirmities are costing more and more to manage in the health care milieu.