Should your boss be able to measure your waist? Fierce debate erupts on GMB over Japanese practice, with worker insisting her performance is all that matters and not her weight
Under a new program called Around the World in Two Ways, overweight Britons travel to Japan, where employers measure workers' waists to keep their country slim.
Around the World in 80 Weighs follows six people from across Britain, each living with obesity, as they travel across continents to learn about the obesity crisis in different countries.
A debate in GBM this morning asked whether we should do the same to tackle the obesity crisis here?
Debating the topic were businessman and winner of The Apprentice Tim Campbell, and radio host and broadcaster Danielle Broadbent. Danielle said employee weigh-ins are “ridiculous,” while Tim said he supports them.
He said: 'I think employers have a duty of care to their employees to ensure they are as productive as possible. And part of productivity is about absenteeism.'
Announcer Danielle Broadbent (pictured, left) and businessman Tim Campbell (pictured, right) had differing opinions on whether employers should measure their employees
Under the program, employers in Japan can measure their employees to monitor their health
Tim continued: 'Measuring around your waist is an important indicator of health challenges or health problems like blood pressure, cholesterol, anything we want.
'I want my employees to be as healthy as possible. And that is my job as an employer.'
Host Susanna asked Danielle, “In Japan they have record obesity rates, so they're doing something right, right?;
Danielle responded, “They are doing something right, but I strongly believe that if they are [I don’t have the waist size] they want the women to have it in Japan, that doesn't mean I'm not productive.
“I'm a top biller in every company I've ever worked at.
“So it's a sense of, you know, I think if you're motivated… and happy in your work and productive, it doesn't matter… what size clothes you wear.”
She continued: “I've got my review on Monday and I've definitely achieved my goals this year, but I've put half a brick in, it's like, oh, well, you know what, we're going to do that and we'll be fired .'
Tim responded, “For me as an employer, I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to support all my employees.”
The majority of viewers agreed with Danielle that employers should not measure their employees in this poll on X (formerly Twitter)
The majority of viewers agreed with Danielle.
A quiz on
'Companies are legally required to measure the waist of their employees annually and some employers also assess BMI, weighing their employees.
'Should weighing employees be mandatory at work?'
Only 20.4 percent of people said yes, while 79.6 percent said no.”