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The Apprentice star Tim Campbell has defended a law in Japan that sees companies legally responsible for their employees’ weight, angering people on X.
The former BBC star argued on today’s Good Morning Britain that employers have a ‘duty of care’ when debating the Japanese law that states businesses must measure staff’s waistlines annually.
But the 46-year-old’s comments have sparked backlash on X, with one viewer Liam Grayhurst remarking: ‘He sounds like a horrid boss to work for #GMB.’
‘God no! I don’t wanna be weighed at work. Triggering as hell #GMB,’ Jackie Taylor fumed.
Shocked over the strict measures, Sue Crowther argued: ‘Work demands/stress is probably the single biggest cause of unhealthy and/or overeating. But let’s shame people for that by weighing and measuring them. #gmb’
Some viewers, however, were more open to discussing the policy, with Dario stating: ‘Talking about obesity isn’t shaming anyone.. Calm down. #GMB.’
Tim said employers were responsible for their staff’s well-being (Picture: ITV)
He argued that weight and obesity measures fell under a company’s ‘duty of care’ (Picture: ITV)
Introduced in 2008, the ‘Metabo’ law states that employers must measure their staff’s waistlines once a year if they are aged between 40 and 74.
If male workers’ waists exceed 85cm, or if women are larger than 90cm, they are expected to attend counselling for weight loss or receive motivational support.
Businesses can even be fined by the Japanese government if employees fail to make attempts to trim the inches.
Debating the law on GMB, Tim, who won the first series of The Apprentice and later founded a London-based digital marketing agency, suggested it could be ‘positive’ for employees.
He argued: ‘Employers have a duty of care to their employees to make sure they are as productive as possible.
‘[Duty of care] should incorporate your physical health as well and measuring around your waist is a key indicator of health challenges or health problems like cholesterol or blood pressure.
Tim won the very first series of The Apprentice and initially worked for Lord Sugar (Picture: PA)
‘And I want my staff to be as healthy as possible. That’s my duty as an employer.’
However, radio presenter and podcast host Danielle Broadbent disagreed and said if staff are ‘motivated and happy’ at work they will be productive, adding that: ‘It shouldn’t matter how much you weigh and what clothes size you are.’
Tim continued: ‘This has got to be a positive, motivating thing. The stats are unequivocal if you are healthier you are more productive and you have less time off work.
‘Particularly as a parent, I want my children to be healthy,we saw that thing about children walking around a mile at school, so why shouldn’t it be the same at work?
‘It’s not about fat shaming. This is all about making sure, “Are you as healthy as possible?” As I would like to know earlier than later if my blood pressure was high.’
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Susanna then asked if Tim measures his staff’s weight and he replied: ‘We measure ourselves. I don’t do it at work but we do it individually and encourage people to go off and do so.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV and ITVX.
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‘Horrid,’ one viewer fumed.