Survey shows employers believe fat people are 'lazy'

Seven in 10 employers associate obesity with laziness and a lack of self-control, according to research.

Health consultancy Nuffield Proactive Health found that bosses admitted fat people were at a disadvantage in the workplace. It surveyed 497 line managers and directors on obesity at work.

Scientists from Oxford University and the Peninsular Medical School in Exeter last week uncovered evidence of a genetic element contributing to obesity. But the Nuffield research suggests UK employers believe obesity is instead linked to character traits.

Nine in 10 HR professionals told a Personnel Today survey earlier this year that there was a social stigma about obesity.

Pressure has since grown on the government to make "fattism" unlawful.