Recently I had an interesting experience. I was invited to come and talk about filling an interim position at KLM. They wanted to start a reputation management program and were looking for someone to help them implement it. The conversation was fun and interesting and focused on one of the three main ingredients of the program: corporate social responsibility.
KLM did not offer me the interim position. I was knowledgable, asked the right questions, I was the almost ideal candidate. I possess one flaw however. I am overweight and KLM felt that this would undermine my effectiveness within their organization in establishing a corporate social responsibility program.
When I heard this I just shrugged as it is a fact that I am overweight. I cannot dispute it. I find it hard to believe however that people in general or KLM in particular are this shallow, narrow minded and disrespectful of people.
As a professional I wonder how this practice of discrimination based on appearances fits in with reputation management and corporate social responsibility. For the latter you have to have some sense of morality and discrimination is definitely not a sign of ethical behavior. As to a corporate communication department rejecting someone based on body size, I wonder if the management of the reputation of KLM is in good hands with them.
