Your Workplace Wellness Program Is Probably Just Diet Culture in Disguise
Let me ask you a question: What does "wellness" mean at your workplace? If your answer involves weight loss challenges, step competitions, or encouraging employees to track their food intake, we need to talk.
Here's the thing – most workplace wellness programs aren't actually about wellness at all. They're diet culture with a corporate rebrand, and they're creating hostile work environments for fat employees while perpetuating harmful myths about health that have been debunked by decades of research.
The Reality of "Wellness" Programs
Picture this: Your HR department sends out a cheerful email about a monthly weight loss challenge. Employees who lose the most weight win prizes. Maybe there's even an Excel spreadsheet where everyone logs their weight for HR to track. Sound familiar?
One employee shared their experience in the Weight Inclusive Consulting Fat at Work Report: "I filled out a health questionnaire and automatically got an email and phone request for a nutrition coach to help me with my 'weight loss' even though I had not requested it anywhere on the form! It was just assumed I wanted to lose weight because it asked for size data. The coach was pushy when I said I didn't need assistance, which made it even weirder."
Another described feeling trapped by their company's "wellness" group: "It was very weight-centered, including encouraging weighing ourselves. In the group, people shared a lot of negativity about being fat. One coworker said she would hate to be a 'chubby bride.' I went to the first session and didn't want to go again but felt obligated to make excuses."
These aren't isolated incidents. They're the predictable result of programs that equate thinness with health and morality.
Why Weight Loss Programs Don't Work (And Cause Harm)
And I get it; the intention behind these programs often comes from a good place. But intention doesn't erase impact, and the impact is significant.
The research is clear: 95% of weight loss attempts fail within 5 years, with most people regaining more weight than they lost. This isn't about willpower or motivation – it's about biology. Our bodies are designed to maintain weight within a set range, and they fight weight loss through hormonal and metabolic changes.
But here's what's even more concerning: these programs actively harm your employees and your workplace culture. They create environments where:
Fat employees feel surveilled and judged
Eating becomes a source of workplace anxiety and shame
Employees develop or worsen disordered eating behaviours
Productivity decreases as people focus on food restriction and body monitoring
Team dynamics suffer when weight becomes a competition
Studies show that weight bias in the workplace leads to decreased job satisfaction, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates. When you implement programs that reinforce anti-fat bias, you're not just failing to improve health – you're actively damaging employee wellbeing and your bottom line.
Addressing the Pushback
"But don't these programs help people get healthier?"
This question assumes that weight equals health, which simply isn't supported by evidence. Health is determined by genetics, access to healthcare, social determinants like housing and income, stress levels, and many other factors, not body size. You can't tell someone's health status by looking at them.
"What about the people who want to lose weight?"
Supporting individual choice doesn't require company-wide programs that create hostile environments for fat employees. When workplaces focus on weight loss, they send the message that fat bodies are problems to be solved, which contributes to workplace discrimination and creates environments where size inclusion becomes impossible.
What Real Workplace Wellness Looks Like
True workplace wellness programs support all employees' actual needs without centering weight or appearance. They might include:
Flexible work arrangements that reduce stress
Mental health resources and support
Ergonomic workspaces for all body types
Inclusive break rooms with varied seating options
Policies that address weight-based discrimination
Educational sessions on diversity, equity, and inclusion that include size diversity
Real wellness recognizes that health is multifaceted and that creating psychologically safe workplaces where all employees can thrive is the foundation of any effective wellness initiative.
Moving Forward: One Actionable Step
Audit your current wellness programs through a size-inclusion lens. Ask yourself: Do these programs assume that all employees want to lose weight? Do they equate thinness with health? Do they create environments where fat employees might feel unwelcome or judged?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it's time to reimagine what workplace wellness could look like when it's actually designed for everyone's well-being.
The goal isn't to eliminate support for employee health – it's to create truly inclusive environments where all employees can thrive, regardless of their body size. Because when we stop disguising diet culture as wellness, we create space for programs that actually support the diverse needs of our workforce.
Come join the conversation about what size-inclusive workplace wellness could look like. Your employees – all of them – deserve better than diet culture in corporate clothing.
Want to make your organization size inclusive? Visit www.WeightInclusiveConsulting.com
Vinny Welsby (they/them) is a fat activist and diversity, equity and inclusion leader. They are a world-leading expert on dismantling anti-fat bias and diet culture, a TEDx speaker, podcast host and best-selling author. Vinny is trans-non-binary and is dedicated to shifting how society views fat and queer bodies through education and compassion.
When Vinny isn’t talking about DEI stuff, they love snuggling with their dog, cross-stitching swear words and singing in a show tunes choir.
Links:
Website: www.weightinclusiveconsulting.com
Instagram: @weightinclusiveconsulting
https://www.instagram.com/weightinclusiveconsulting/
Website: www.fiercefatty.com
Instagram: @fierce.fatty https://www.instagram.com/fierce.fatty/
