By Nela Wiedermannova (22-23)

Do you have LinkedIn? LinkedIn has become the most used social network site and a platform for job search and recruitment. Nowadays, LinkedIn has more than 950 million members in 200 countries and regions worldwide (LinkedIn, 2023). 95% of HR professionals used LinkedIn to passively recruit prospects (Karl & Peluchette, 2013). However, as with other social media sites, the downside of LinkedIn can be that, unlike a standard CV that we all know, it includes a profile picture. The profile picture can provide non-job-related information like gender, ethnicity, age, that could affect decision-making (Black & Johnson, 2012). One of the information that a profile picture can provide is the person’s body weight. Do you think that you view larger-bodied individuals differently compared to normal body-weighed people?

What the literature says about weight bias

Weight bias can be observed in negative stereotypes (for example, perceptions that individuals who are overweight or obese are sluggish, lazy, and lacking in willpower) (Stewart & Ogden, 2021).  A large study has shown that anti-fat attitudes seem to be pervasive among UK individuals (Flint et al., 2015). In England in 2021, almost 26% of all adults were considered obese and up to 37.9% of adults were considered overweight (Baker, 2023). Recent studies reveal that employers are less inclined to hire individuals with higher body weight (Flint et al., 2016). Regardless of the occupation, obese individuals were less suitable than normal-weight candidates with obese females being the most disadvantaged (Flint et al., 2015). Moreover, women with larger body weight were found to earn less while for men it was actually the opposite (Judge & Cable, 2011). In other words, gaining a little weight might hurt a woman’s prospects of landing a job but does not hurt men’s prospects (Nickson et al., 2016).

Even when people really feel they are acting fairly and impartially, implicit biases can have a substantial influence on decision-making processes (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995). People develop automatic implicit associations that can sway judgment and result in implicit (unconscious) biases (Greenwald, 1998).  In recent research, one of the promising methods that may help people overcome incorrect automatic associations that result in implicit biases is mindfulness (Lueke & Gibson, 2015).  By cultivating awareness and seeing thoughts and feelings as fleeting mental events, people can stop their natural inclination towards automatic reactions and evaluations (Bishop et al., 2004).

Our study wanted to see if a brief (5-minute) online mindfulness intervention can reduce weight bias. We also wanted to see what ranking each LinkedIn profile gets. These profiles were identical but differed in profile picture (you can see 4 different profile pictures created for this study in Figure 1).

Figure 1.

LinkedIn profile pictures used for the study

The study

Hundred and forty-six people took part in the research experiment which used the gold-standard randomised controlled trial. This trial makes sure that a random half of the participants undertook the intervention (in this case a 5-minute mindfulness exercise) and half of the participants did not do anything, so they can be compared. Also, participants were asked to rate the employability “for a senior-level office-based role” of a potential LinkedIn candidate. A quarter of the participants rated a profile of the thin female, a quarter rated the thin male, a quarter of the participants rated the overweight female and the last quarter rated the overweight male LinkedIn profile. All participants also completed some questionnaires about their personality. We also measured their levels of mindfulness to see if the people who exercised mindfulness had increased mindfulness levels. Lastly, all the participants completed the weight implicit association test. In the test, participants are shown a series of words (positive and negative) and body silhouettes (fat and slim) and are asked to quickly associate these words with each silhouette. The test measures how quickly and accurately a person can make these associations. Based on their score, we can see how strong their subconscious bias might be (Greenwald et al., 1998). And you never know how unconsciously biased you can be if you do not try… (if you want to try the test yourself, click the link: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/user/uk/uk.static/selectatest.html ).

What have we learned from this study?

This study has provided evidence that the selected mindfulness interventions (a 5-minute body scan) may not induce the desired state of mindfulness. Organizations and practitioners interested in using mindfulness interventions should consider the type and duration of mindfulness practices carefully. Short interventions like the 5-minute body scan (although probably more tempting than a long mindfulness session) may not be as effective. Therefore, the role of mindfulness in reducing weight bias remains unclear. Moreover, personality traits need to be considered concerning mindfulness as this study provided evidence that more neurotic people (that are people characterized by emotional instability, moodiness, anxiety, worry, and a tendency to experience negative emotions more frequently and intensely than others) may be less mindful. Thus, individuals with higher neuroticism might require different mindfulness practices or additional support to achieve mindfulness.

This study has also provided evidence that the implicit anti-fat bias seems to be pervasive among individuals with males having greater anti-fat bias compared to females (Flint et al., 2015). It implies the importance of considering weight bias in law-making as unlike attributes such as age, gender, or race, weight-based discrimination is not covered by The Equality Act 2010.

Contrary to some previous research that suggested overweight individuals, especially females, might face more significant bias in hiring processes (Nickson et al., 2016; Swami et al., 2008), this study found that overweight males were rated most favourably among the candidates followed by the thin female, followed by the overweight female, and least favourably rated was the thin male profile. Nevertheless, using LinkedIn profiles as the sole source of information on candidates suggests that appearance-related bias might be less pronounced when initial information is limited. However, it’s important to note that while weight bias may not have been evident during LinkedIn candidate screening, it can still potentially manifest during later stages of the hiring process, such as interviews, where more information about an individual’s appearance becomes available (Pingitore et al., 1994).

Our study showed that the interaction between the gender and weight was particularly important. Therefore, it would be interesting to know how other biases can be interlinked (for example, weight and age, or race and gender), and what effect they can cause. This study suggests that organisations interested in reducing weight and gender bias should acknowledge the complexity of these biases. To create fair and inclusive hiring processes, they should implement comprehensive anti-bias strategies that consider not only appearance but also the intersectionality of bias.

References

Baker, C. (2023, January 12). Obesity statistics. Commons Library Research Briefing, Number 03336. Retrieved from https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN03336/SN03336.pdf

Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., … Devins, G. (2006). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 230-241. https://doi:10.1093/clipsy.bph077 

Black, S. L., & Johnson, A. F. (2012). Employers’ use of social networking sites in the selection process. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 1(1).

Flint, S. W., Hudson, J., & Lavallee, D. (2015). UK adults’ implicit and explicit attitudes towards obesity: a cross-sectional study. BMC obesity, 2(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40608-015-0064-2

Flint, S. W., Čadek, M., Codreanu, S. C., Ivić, V., Zomer, C., & Gomoiu, A. (2016). Obesity discrimination in the recruitment process: “You’re not hired!”. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 647.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00647 

Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological review, 102(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.102.1.4

Greenwald, A., McGhee, D., & Schwartz, J. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal Of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1464-1480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1464

Judge, T. A., & Cable, D. M. (2011). When it comes to pay, do the thin win? The effect of weight on pay for men and women. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(1), 95-112. http://doi:10.1037/a0020860 

Karl, K., & Peluchette, J. (2013). Possibilities and pitfalls of using online social networking in human resources management. Psychology for business success, 4(1), 119-138.

LinkedIn. (2023). Statistics. https://news.linkedin.com/about-us#. Retrieved on August 15, 2023.

Lueke, A., & Gibson, B. (2015). Mindfulness meditation reduces implicit age and race bias: The role of reduced automaticity of responding. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(3), 284-291. http://doi:10.1177/1948550614559651

Nickson, D., Timming, A. R., Re, D., & Perrett, D. I. (2016). Subtle increases in BMI within a healthy weight range still reduce womens employment chances in the service sector. PLoS One, 11(9), e0159659. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159659

Pingitore, R., Dugoni, B. L., Tindale, R. S., & Spring, B. (1994). Bias against overweight job applicants in a simulated employment interview. Journal of applied psychology, 79(6), 909. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.79.6.909

Stewart, S. J. F., & Ogden, J. (2021). What are weight bias measures measuring? An evaluation of core measures of weight bias and weight bias internalisation. Health Psychology Open, 8(2), 20551029211029149. https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029211029149

Swami, V., Chan, F., Wong, V., Furnham, A., & Tovée, M. J. (2008). Weight‐Based Discrimination in Occupational Hiring and Helping Behavior¹. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38(4), 968-981. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00334.x

By Kavin Manivannan (22-23)

When it comes to military readiness, we often think of physical training, combat drills, and the latest technology. But there’s a hidden dimension to readiness that goes beyond the battlefield. It’s about leadership, motivation, and retention – the driving forces behind a military’s effectiveness. In a recent research project, we delved deep into these often-overlooked aspects of military readiness, focusing on one of the most elite forces in the world: the Royal Marines. What we discovered has far-reaching implications not only for military organizations but also for any group striving for peak performance.

Leadership: The Cornerstone of Readiness

Leadership isn’t just about giving orders; it’s about inspiring trust, respect, and admiration. In our interviews with Royal Marines, we found that effective leadership is the linchpin of readiness. When Marines respect and trust their leaders, they’re more motivated and better prepared. It’s not just about hierarchy; it’s about communication. A good leader listens not only to superiors but also to peers and subordinates. This open approach fosters collaboration and teamwork, a critical quality in high-stakes situations. Leading by example is another crucial aspect of leadership. When leaders set the bar high and embody the behaviour they expect from their team, it inspires others to follow suit. This ability to inspire, even in the face of reluctance, is a hallmark of great leadership.

Effective leadership extends beyond the rank and file. It plays a vital role in decision-making, particularly in the Royal Marines, where decisions can have life-or-death consequences. Our research found that strong leader-subordinate relationships enhance decision-making at both the strategic and operational levels. Leaders who inspire trust and respect are more likely to make wise decisions, a point that resonates with previous studies.

Leadership doesn’t just impact readiness in the field; it influences readiness during threat level adjustments. Recent deployments to regions like Sudan have highlighted the role of leadership in rapidly shifting readiness levels. Proficient leaders can navigate these transitions effectively, ensuring that their teams are always prepared for what’s ahead. In essence, leadership is a trainable attribute in the Marine Corps. It’s not just an innate trait that leaders rely on intuition to execute. This belief in the development of leadership skills, even in the most challenging settings, contributes to enduring capabilities, especially in high-pressure environments.

Motivation: The Drive to Be Ready

Personal readiness is at the heart of motivation. For Royal Marines, it means being fully prepared to face uncertainty head-on. It’s about having a defined mission, both in terms of professional duties and personal goals. Readiness isn’t just about mental preparation. It extends to physical fitness and maintaining high standards in all aspects of life. A healthy work-life balance is key to preserving motivation and avoiding burnout.

Physical readiness is a consistent focus, with Marines highlighting the need for diverse training regimens to enhance their capabilities. They understand the benefits of incorporating greater training variation to improve physical prowess. Diverse training methodologies not only benefit individual Marines but also increase overall morale within the Corps. However, when it comes to mental readiness, there’s a significant gap in understanding. Many Marines we interviewed were unaware of its relevance or assumed it was an innate quality. This disparity highlights the need for more research and education on the importance of mental readiness, not just in the Royal Marines but across all military branches.

Retention: The Silent Challenge

Workforce retention is a pressing concern in the Royal Marines. High-stress environments and demanding duties take a toll on morale and motivation. With fewer personnel, the pressure to do more with less is felt across the organization.

Workplace stress, driven by excessive workloads and undesirable deployments, threatens readiness. It’s a shift from combat-focused tasks to administrative chores, diverting Marines from their core responsibilities. This drop in morale and well-being has significant implications for overall readiness. Skill retention is equally critical. Marines value ongoing training opportunities to maintain their skills, but injuries during training can hinder readiness. Addressing this issue is vital to keeping Marines fully prepared for their roles.

Turning Research into Action

Our research offers valuable insights into the dynamics of military readiness. It’s not just about physical training and combat skills; it’s about leadership that inspires, motivation that drives, and retention that sustains. For military organizations, this means revaluating training regimens to include diverse and effective approaches. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) could be a game-changer for enhancing mental resilience and well-being among troops. It’s time to prioritize the psychological safety of personnel, fostering open communication, trust, and joint efforts.

Leadership development programs should align with the demands of the modern world, emphasizing psychologically safe environments. Incorporating psychological resilience skills training can better equip leaders and units to tackle the psychological challenges of today’s battlefield. Work-life balance should be more than a buzzword. It should be a reality. Flexibility in managing work and personal life can significantly boost motivation and readiness levels. Addressing issues related to idleness and inflexibility is essential.

In conclusion, military readiness isn’t just about physical prowess; it’s about the human elements that drive it. Leadership, motivation, and retention are the pillars of success in any organization, including the military. By understanding and addressing these factors, we can enhance readiness, effectiveness, and overall well-being – a win-win for everyone involved.