In the eyes of many sales managers, employees of ideal weight are more qualified to work the best sales territories while obese sales people are relegated to the worst areas — if they are hired at all, says a new study from Ball State University.

A survey of 122 Midwest-based sales managers, directors of sales or business owners found obesity-caused discrimination is rampant in the sales industry, says Ramon A. Avila, director of Ball State's H.H. Gregg Center for Professional Selling, who co-authored the study with Shaheen Borna, a marketing professor.

"Our findings support the proposition that obesity is a factor when assigning territories, which is the fundamental management activity in the industry," said Avila, who is also the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Marketing. "Obese salespeople were less likely to be considered for quality assignments. Even when performance and qualifications were constant, sales managers are likely to discriminate by weight. While it may not be conscious, it still exists."

In the study, managers were asked to assign new employees to territories based on an information sheet and two versions of a photo of the employee — one at ideal weight and the other obese. Both male and female candidates had the same facial shots and clothing, but computer morphing added pounds to create an "obese" person.

Sales managers were informed that two territories needed sales people. They had the option of rejecting the candidate or allowing the person to be assigned to a sales territory out of his or her control.

The study found managers:

• Were less likely to assign an obese person to one of the two vacancies
• Were less likely to hire an obese woman than an obese man
• Were less likely to assign an obese woman to the most desirable territories
• Were more likely to assign people of "ideal" weight to better territories

The study also found that managers with 10 or more years of experience were less likely to assign or hire an obese person to fill one of the vacancies.

"Sales managers in this research project, and in most recent studies, have shown less of a tendency to discriminate by sex," Avila said. "Sex discrimination has received much more attention and is much more likely to be included in sensitivity and diversity training. The time may be right for more attention to obesity in these types of training programs.

"We also found indications that obesity discrimination is more likely to occur when women deal with obese women," he said. "Although the social identity explanation for this phenomenon is theoretically elegant, sales managers and higher-level managers must acknowledge and develop ways to deal with this real and potentially sensitive problem."

Avila said the study pointed out that experienced managers, who were less likely to assign obese people to vacant territories, also need to participate in such training programs.

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Avila at ravila@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5189.)