Have you ever hesitated to take on a particular role or get up in front of other people because you felt self-conscious about your weight? Or worried that others would see you as unprofessional or “not equipped” for leadership positions? Perhaps you’ve made offhand comments about a colleague’s eating habits?
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
06:25 – Seeing Weight Bias as a Problem
13:36 – Anti-Fat Bias Runs Deep
17:07 – Self-Acceptance in a Larger Body
26:04 – How to (Not) Talk About Food & Weight at Work
35:53 – Advice for Managers: Addressing Weight Bias at Work
41:32 - Outro
Weight bias is everywhere, including at work, and yet it’s rarely discussed openly or made part of efforts to create equitable and inclusive workplaces. It should be, especially given what we know about the economic and emotional costs to women who are on the receiving end of this stigma.
Two women who have studied weight bias at work—and the misconceptions that underpin it—help us understand our role in creating a positive body culture.
Guests:
Dr. Habibah Williams is a nurse practitioner at the University of Virginia.
Grace Lemmon is a management professor at DePaul University.
Resources:
• “A primer with purpose: Research implications of the objectification of weight in the workplace,” by Grace Lemmon et al.: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joop.12378
• “Sizably Aware: Teaching Healthcare Staff to Lose Their Weight Bias,” a write-up of Dr. Habibah Williams’ work, by Christine Phelan Kueter: https://www.nursing.virginia.edu/news/habibah-williams-dnp/
• “Unconscious Bias Training That Works,” by Francesca Gino and Katherine Coffman: https://hbr.org/2021/09/unconscious-bias-training-that-works
• “How One Company Worked to Root Out Bias from Performance Reviews,” by Joan C. Williams et al.: https://hbr.org/2021/04/how-one-company-worked-to-root-out-bias-from-performance-reviews
Sign up for the Women at Work: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters?movetile=womenatwork
Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Listen to all Women at Work episodes here: [YouTube playlist link]
You can also listen to this episode on HBR.org, and wherever you listen to podcasts:
- HBR.org (transcript available here): https://hbr.org/podcast/2022/10/respect-for-any-body-size
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/respect-for-any-body-size/id1336174427?i=1000584578588
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4iumfeeyMNYZtZ21sLqCL7?si=7f59a0d916184062
- Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/women-at-work/episode/respect-for-any-body-size-208115895
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLmhhcnZhcmRidXNpbmVzcy5vcmcvaGFydmFyZGJ1c2luZXNzL3dvbWVuLWF0LXdvcms/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvLmhici5vcmcsMjAxOC0wMS0xNzp3b21lbi1hdC13b3JrLnM4LjAwMDAz?sa=X&ved=0CAgQuIEEahcKEwi40IHtw437AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA
Series Description:
Women face gender discrimination throughout our careers. It doesn't have to derail our ambitions — but how do we prepare to deal with it? There's no workplace orientation session about narrowing the wage gap, standing up to interrupting male colleagues, or taking on many other issues we encounter at work. So HBR staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield are untangling some of the knottiest problems. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help you succeed in spite of the obstacles.
About Harvard Business Review:
Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, books, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review aims to provide professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to help lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact. Learn more at www.hbr.org.
Follow Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/harv... https://www.facebook.com/HBR/ https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz https://www.instagram.com/harvard_bus...
Sign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters
#HarvardBusinessReview #womenatwork
Copyright © 2022 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.