Should Employers monitor the health of their employees through weight? Would other statistics make better options? Should employers be able to penalize the employees for not revealing their weight? These are the questions that need to be asked, and answered.
Should employers monitor the health of their employees through weight? I believe that the answer to this question is as simple as it possibly could be, NO. The pictures at the bottom of the article demonstrate how different 2 men can be in body composition and health at the same weight. Fat is a contributor of body weight, but it is not the only contributor, which makes this a reasonably unfair judgement. Fat is one major contributor to body weight, while muscle mass is a close second, and then we can't forget about water retention, it may not sound like a big contributor but you'd be surprised. Water retention can be responsible for anywhere from 5 to 35 pounds of weight added to your body. Essentially this is up to 35 pounds that do not show any less health that anyone else. Other statistics such a blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and body fat percentage would make much more sense in health terms.
I can see where the employers are coming from with their side of this argument as well though. Ensuring the health of their employees is a crucial aspect to maintaining a solid workforce. If employees are unhealthy and commonly becoming ill, therefore missing work, then the company begins to suffer. It also becomes more expensive for the company to provide medical coverage to employees like this. I see this side as very reasonable as well. The health of employees can also affect their performance at work. Heavier more out of shape employees may fatigue faster, and therefore be less productive.
I do understand both points of view in this argument, but the fact that employees should not be judged by their weight. The most simplified of all of these reasons being that weight does not show anything about a person. Many other statistics would be good to help show health, but weight is the least effective way to determine employee health.
Welcome back Alan. In general, I like how you have made a self connection with the topic. This would progress you further into the discussion since you have that attachment to the issue. Similar to what Ms. Lees said, I did not notice any law related comments or evidence in your post. I would recommend more solid evidence to back up your points rather than relying on personal opinions. Overall, good to have you back and looking forward in seeing more posts from you.
ReplyDeleteHey Alan. Sorry for the late reply. I had no wifi in my house for the whole weekend... Anyways, your paragraphs improved,I think it would have been nice if you inserted some point on this topic relating or making connections to what we discussed in class. Your post is informative on facts about weight. The introduction might have been better if you expanded on it a bit more. Overall it was good, I know you'll improve on the next post. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI think I told you this before... HIDE YOUR LAST NAME!!
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