Advice column question/and answer about handling workplace eating disorders.
Q: What should you do if you suspect a co-worker has an eating disorder?
A: An eating disorder is difficult to detect, and one should never assume. When I first became pregnant, people speculated all sorts of reasons why I spent so much time in the bathroom, from an eating disorder to a drinking problem.
First consider why you think there is a disorder that needs addressing, and factor in other possibilities.If you still think there’s a problem, the next step must be delicate. Talk to them gently, non-judgmentally, and in private. Expect that they’ll be guarded and in denial. If this is the case, don’t push. Be supportive in other ways.
Don’t push food on them. In my younger days, co-workers would loudly insist during meetings that I fill up on snacks because I “needed it.” Even without an eating disorder, that makes a person self-conscious and uncomfortable.
Realize it’s rooted in control issues, not body issues. Reminding your co-worker that they look “fabulous” won’t help.
Don’t gossip. This is a non-work issue, and shouldn’t be paraded at work.
If you feel it has reached a point where their health is in jeopardy, try and find an outside source for help. Contact friends or family members of your co-worker. See if they’re willing to intervene.
Unfortunately, the old adage is true: you can’t help someone who won’t help themselves. Promise to be there for the person, and that’s often the best you can do.
