How would you feel if your boss called you into his office and said he wanted to discuss an urgent matter with you? You mind begins to race at the possibilities of what could be the problem. “Was I late this morning?”. “Did I mess something up in the report I turned in yesterday?”. You sit at your desk going over any possible transgression you could have done that would warrant your boss needing to speak with you so urgently. Finally the time comes and he calls you into his office. You have a seat and prepare yourself to be reprimanded. To your surprise, your boss is not dissatisfied with the quality of your work. In fact he thinks that you are an excellent employee. No, your boss has called you into his office for a meeting because he thinks you’re fat and is telling you that you HAVE to lose weight or risk loosing your insurance coverage or perhaps even be fired.

One of two things might be happening to you right now. You either become completely uneasy and embarrassed during this meeting. Or, you are about THIS close from having security called on you for assaulting your supervisor.

Well, this scenario is one that many people might have to experience in Japan. Many companies in Japan are initiating a new regulation where their employees cannot be over a certain weight or measurements. The purpose of this is because they feel that being over weight is a direct result of bad health. Bad health equals more time in the hospital and visiting doctors. More time in the hospital equals your employer’s health insurance paying higher premiums and rates for unhealthy employees. Due to this, they also require their employees to exercise during their work shift with their co-workers. Can you imagine you and Bob doing simultaneous jumping jacks in your shared cubicle? Sexy.

At any rate, not all companies in Japan have initiated this strategy. However, it can become quite interesting to think how well or not so well, this would go over in America. The land of the Mcfatty’s. Let’s not kid ourselves. American’s love to eat. But not only to eat but to eat large portions of unhealthy foods. We have so many choices. The McDonald’s, Taco Bell’s, Popeyes, etc.. The list goes on and literally never ends.

Of course, it is our own individual choice to forego that Big Mac and eat a salad or to even make a well rounded meal at home. But what if that choice was no longer left up to us but to our employers? Can you imagine your employer deciding what size you should be and not only placing you on a diet but measuring you weekly?

I’m pretty sure that this would be enough to cause a major upheaval for most American employees. Damnit we are Americans. The land where everybody gets to do whatever the hell they want! How dare anyone place regulations on our diet or try to enforce a healthier standard of living! With that being said, there would be a lot of unemployed African Americans. Don’t look at me like that! You KNOW there is truth to that statement.

I joke and I kid but isn’t that how most Americans think? The contrast to this is that enforcing a mandatory weight maintenance policy would surely eliminate some of the problems with obesity we have here. For God sakes even our kids are fat. You want to know why? Because we show them how to. “Here little baby, suck on these salty Mc Fries”.

No one wants big brother or “big employer” for that matter telling them how to live their lives, especially when it does not directly relate to their actual job. But would it be worth the annoyance if it is for the greater good? Another question is how are they getting away with this without catching discrimination cases? Fat people need jobs too.

What do you think?