Progress has been made over the last several decades to protect people from discrimination in the workplace based on sex, race, disability, and age. But it’s still legal in much of the US to pass over an applicant based solely on their weight and size. Now, some localities are starting to change that.

Impacts of weight discrimination. Weight bias (also referred to as fatphobia) is prevalent across countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK, and 54%–62% of almost 14,000 WW International (formerly Weight Watchers) participants report experiencing weight bias from coworkers, according to a 2021 study in the International Journal of Obesity (IJO). Weight bias is defined as “negative weight-related attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, and judgments toward individuals who are overweight and obese,” according to authors in the Journal of Eating Disorders, and is associated with higher rates of stress, depression, and unhealthy relationships with food for those who experience it, according to the IJO.

Megan Ixim, a body-positivity advocate and model, said she has received discrimination based on her size at both blue- and white-collar jobs. She told HR Brew that she can sense a company’s weight bias based on whether there is size diversity among current employees. “There have been instances where I felt like there was absolutely no way that I was going to be hired for positions solely based on the way that I look,” Ixim said. “It definitely felt like, if I didn’t fit a certain aesthetic because of my size, there’s absolutely no way I was going to be hired.”

Not only does discrimination impact overall well-being, it can also impact economic standing. Larger people are likely to experience discrimination in the hiring process and are viewed as less suitable for work, according to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology. Larger women are more likely to have lower-paying jobs than “average size women,” a 2014 study from Vanderbilt University found.

Legal exclusions. As the conversation around size bias continues, there are calls to reduce discrimination via legislation. The New York City Council recently became the latest legislative body to consider a law that would add size and weight as a protected class, since size discrimination is not currently part of any national worker protections.

Keep reading.—KP

Companies have been in optimization mode lately. With all the talk about a looming recession, biz leaders are focused on maxing out productivity, performance, and innovation. But the best ones know how to balance procuring profits and employee satisfaction.

How do they do it? Peep Great Place To Work’s annual 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list to learn how the very best are able to create a great company culture that drives a consistent 7% increase in ROI across the board.

This isn’t your average all-stars list. These top companies prioritize well-being, foster a sense of belonging and teamwork, and connect employees to a purpose bigger than simply turning a profit.

Join the cream of the crop.

Stereotypes of dingy government office cubicles and antiquated computers may be as outdated as a 2008 BlackBerry. The public sector is gearing up to compete with the tech sector, and government recruiters can capitalize on a shift in the market.

Best and worst. The Partnership for Public Service and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently released the annual ranking of best and worst places to work in the federal government. Researchers looked at 74 federal agencies, and surveyed 557,778 employees about their job and organization satisfaction. The rankings are broken down by size, examining large, midsize, and small agencies, as well as agency subcomponents.

Little kids dreaming of being astronauts will be happy to know that NASA took the top spot for large agencies for the 11th year in a row. The organization ranked high for work-life balance, teamwork, innovation, DEI, pay, and effective leadership. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, Small Business Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency were among the agencies whose engagement and satisfaction scores improved from 2021.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) had the lowest scores across the board, coming in last or near-last for work-life balance, innovation, and diversity.

Keep reading.—KP

We’re back with the latest HR moves.

PepsiCo: Cognizant’s chief people officer, Rebecca Schmitt, abruptly resigned earlier this month. On the heels of that news, Pepsi revealed that Schmitt would be taking over as its CHRO.

Dartmouth: The Ivy League school that gave us Mindy Kaling and the equally noteworthy Dr. Seuss announced the appointment of a new CHRO. Sara Lester will join Dartmouth after 12 years at ETS, an education services company. She also holds a law degree from Duke University and worked as a lawyer before moving into HR.

Human Rights Campaign: Rebecca Hershey has been promoted to SVP of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging after serving as interim head since December. She joined the HRC in 2019, and previously led DE&I efforts for Goodwill.

Paper: Q Hamirani has joined Paper, an education technology company, as its chief people officer. He spent the last five years at Airbnb growing the people operations team, and ushered in its work from anywhere policy, according to Paper.—KP

Do you have an HR move to share? Let us know by reaching out to [email protected].

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: 46% of job-seekers, both employed and unemployed, are worried about job security, up from 31% in 2022. (Professional Resume Writers)

Quote: “It was not intended to put minors in Tom’s Tavern slinging drinks, rather to allow these youth to work in Renee’s Restaurant.”—Iowa state Sen. Adrian Dickey, on a bill that eases child labor laws so that minors 14–17 can work longer hours and those 16 or over can serve alcohol (the Des Moines Register)

Read: Return-to-work, hybrid, or fully remote? As companies consider their post-pandemic work arrangements, nobody knows what’s actually working. (Fortune)

The A-listers: Wanna learn how the best stay the best? Check out Great Place To Work’s 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. A top-notch business means top-notch company culture—see how they do it and do it too!*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}