The Daily Stat from Harvard Business Review

 

November 20, 2014 Researchers Say It's Better for the Firm if Obese Frontline Workers Are Jovial In an experiment in which people were asked to imagine visiting a restaurant, the idea of having an obese waiter made research participants feel more negatively about the establishment — but this difference disappeared if the waiter was described as cheerful and funny and telling jokes, say Kelly O. Cowart of Grand Valley State University in Michigan and Michael K. Brady of Florida State University. The finding that joviality can erase the negative-stereotype effects of obesity in frontline employees and their firms suggests that managers should allow obese employees to express themselves in ways that lighten the mood or are amusing or entertaining, the researchers say. SOURCE: Pleasantly Plump: Offsetting Negative Obesity Stereotypes for Frontline Service Employees

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