At Petroleos, skinnier the waist, larger the pay packet

At Mexico’s state-run oil company, skinnier waists mean bigger bonuses.

Under Petroleos Mexicanos’ new collective bargaining contract with its union, workers who meet certain body weight standards will receive a health incentive of 5,545.40 pesos ($287) a year. To qualify, they must have a body mass index (BMI), of not more than 25 — or a maximum waist circumference of 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women. The so-called health bonus is a 4.6 per cent increase from the last union contract.

The policy runs counter to recommendations by health experts, who warn that BMI and other biometric markers are influenced by genetics and environmental factors, and aren’t easy to control. “Employers mandating differential treatment of individuals based on BMI serve to institutionalise the already pervasive stigmatisation of obese people,” according to one report from The Obesity Society in Maryland.

Pemex and its union did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“This is an uninformed policy,” said Scott Kahan, Director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness in Washington. “It’s inconsistent with the science of what we know about body weight regulation and its tone deaf to progress being made in societal perceptions around obesity. On top of all of that, we have very strong scientific data now that weight shaming causes more weight gain.”

Pemex workers who are overweight or obese and decrease their weight by 10 per cent annually will also get the bonus, and there are metrics for blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol, according to the contract seen by Bloomberg. Details of the contract, including a bonus for productivity equivalent to 30.85 per cent of workers’ salaries, were first reported in national newspaper Reforma.

“A more productive method of encouraging wellness among employees is to incentivise healthy behaviours,” said Kahan. These can include giving workers’ insurance rebates for trips to the gym, or encouraging participation in lectures on healthy eating and living. Also, companies can reduce sweets and provide healthier snacks in the office, or give employees more time during their lunch break to buy wholesome food or exercise.