I note yesterday that the CIPD have stated that managers should be trained to be sensitive to the issue of obesity to avoid claims arising out of fattist taunts and jibes in the workplace. Clearly after the recognition of the importance of “gingerism” this must come a close second. Being both fat and ginger the issues are of some importance to me.

I am concerned however that once again the industry is going to go to some expense dealing with issues that a good manager should be able to do naturally such as being sensitive to peoples individual perceptions of themselves and manage the way employees treat each other.

It is not practicable, surely, to expect employers to manage every individual relationship and the law recognises this in the way that it expects employers to set down policies for employees to adhere to when managing their own relationships. I am not entirely convinced that scripting is any substitute for expecting employees to simply respect each other. Following the latest warning to its logical conclusion will surely make employment law unwieldy, unmanageable and something of a curious joke among practical minded employers.

I am going to come off the fence and say that I do not believe that fattism should be added to Equal Opportunities Policies anymore than I believe that gingerism should be. I do think however that sensible and compassionate employers will have an Equal Opportunities Policy which will protect both them and their employees.

Such employers will expect their employees and their workers to show each other some respect and in doing this the employers (in all but the most unusual circumstances) will be protecting themselves from the claims that the article I refer to warns us about.