Eating Disorders in the Workplace: An Employer’s Legal and Ethical Duty

Eating disorders are often erroneously viewed as adolescent conditions that do not intersect with professional life. The reality is that at least 1.25 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder right now. A significant proportion of these are working adults, yet the workplace remains a space where they feel least safe to disclose their struggles.

For Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2026 (23 February to 1 March), the theme of Community highlights a critical gap in corporate culture. Employers have a unique opportunity and a legal responsibility to act as part of the supportive network that makes recovery possible.

The Hidden Impact on Performance and Culture

Research from Beat indicates a significant "silence gap" in the professional environment. Two in three people with an eating disorder do not feel comfortable discussing it with their line manager, and an equal number would not tell a colleague.

This silence is not merely a matter of privacy. It is driven by the specific stigma eating disorders carry in the workplace, where they are often misunderstood as lifestyle choices or consequences of vanity rather than serious psychiatric conditions. For the employer, this translates to:

• Reduced Productivity: The psychological preoccupation with food, weight, and calories dominates thinking and energy.
• Absenteeism and Presenteeism: Untreated eating disorders lead to physical exhaustion, cognitive impairment, and long-term health complications.
• Economic Cost: The total economic cost of eating disorders to the UK is estimated at £6.8 to £8 billion, the majority of which is lost productivity and reduced economic participation.

Recognition: What Managers Might Notice

Managers are not expected to diagnose, but they are often the first to see the behavioural shifts that indicate an employee is in distress. Recognition is the first step toward reducing the 3.5-year average wait for treatment.

Behavioural Indicators

• Social Withdrawal: Making excuses to avoid team lunches or social settings involving food.
• Rigidity: Developing strict dietary rules or rituals that interfere with office routines.
• Physical Concealment: Wearing loose or baggy clothing to hide changes in body shape.
• Exercise Compulsion: Excessive physical activity that continues despite illness or poor weather.

Physical and Emotional Signs

• Persistent Fatigue: Fainting, dizziness, or a constant feeling of being cold regardless of the office temperature.
• Cognitive Changes: Heightened irritability, anxiety around mealtimes, or expressions of worthlessness.
• Physical Markers: Significant or unexplained weight loss, though it is vital to remember that weight is not always a proxy for illness severity. Many people with eating disorders (including those with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or atypical anorexia) are within a medically normal weight range, making the condition less visible.

While these signs are a starting point, navigating a professional response requires a deeper understanding of support pathways. You can find more technical detail in our [Link: In-Depth Corporate Guide]

The Legal Position: Compliance and Duty of Care

Employers in the UK operate under a strict legal framework regarding mental health. Ignoring the presence of eating disorders in the workforce is a significant compliance risk.

1. The Equality Act 2010

An eating disorder that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on an individual’s ability to carry out day-to-day activities meets the definition of a disability. Under this Act, employers have a statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments. Disadvantaging or dismissing an employee due to their condition may constitute unlawful discrimination.

2. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Employers must address psychosocial risks in the workplace. A culture that exacerbates mental health conditions, such as weight-focused commentary, wellness initiatives centred on calorie counting, or "diet talk" in team settings, may expose an organisation to liability under health and safety law.

3. Reasonable Adjustments in Practice

When an employee is undergoing treatment, the following adjustments should be considered. Importantly, the duty to make reasonable adjustments is anticipatory: employers should proactively create supportive environments rather than waiting for disclosure.

• Flexible Scheduling: Allowing for clinical appointments, which for adults can involve long-term psychological therapy.
• Phased Returns: Supporting a gradual return to work after intensive treatment or during recovery.
• Role Modifications: Temporary redeployment if a specific role is incompatible with the early stages of recovery.

How to Approach a Colleague

The first contact conversation is the most delicate part of the employer’s role. The goal is to open a door to professional help, not to resolve the illness yourself.

Starting the Conversation

• Prepare: Choose a private space and a time when neither party is rushed.
• Observe, Don't Appraise: Focus on behaviour rather than appearance. Saying "I've noticed you seem stressed at lunch" is constructive. Saying "You look very thin" is likely to trigger a defensive or shame-driven response.
• Listen Without Judgement: Resist the urge to fix or advise. Do not offer reassurance like "You look healthy to me," as this can reinforce disordered thinking.

Signposting and Boundaries

The end goal is to bridge the employee to professional services, such as an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or their GP. A Mental Health First Aider must not become the primary emotional support for the disorder.

Building a Supportive Community

organisations that thrive are those that create a signal of safety. This requires structural changes to workplace culture:

1. Audit wellness programmes: Remove weight-loss competitions, BMI-based incentives, or calorie-tracking challenges that can trigger or worsen eating disorders.
2. Train line managers: Ensure they understand basic recognition of mental health concerns and clear referral pathways to HR, EAP, or Occupational Health.
3. Make Mental Health First Aiders visible: Trained First Aiders should be accessible, and their role clearly communicated to all staff.
4. Publicise support routes: Ensure employees know how to access the EAP and external resources like Beat’s helpline.

Explore Further

Identifying the signs is the first step toward a supportive workplace culture. For a more comprehensive look at legal responsibilities, professional support pathways, and technical guidance for employers, please see our:

In-Depth Guide to Eating Disorders in the Workplace

This resource is designed for HR Managers and Wellbeing Leads who require a deeper understanding of Mental Health First Aid in a professional context.

The Role of First Aid for Mental Health Training

The 3.5-year average wait for treatment is largely a failure of early recognition. In the workplace, trained First Aiders are the link that reduces the gap between the onset of illness and the first disclosure.

Constellation Training delivers Ofqual-regulated NUCO First Aid for Mental Health qualifications designed to equip your team with these specific skills:

• Level 1 (Awareness): Builds foundational recognition skills for all staff members.
• Level 2 (First Aid for Mental Health): Equips individuals to use a structured Action Plan to respond to suspected presentations.
• Level 3 (Supervising): Prepares managers to support colleagues, implement positive mental health cultures, and understand clinical treatment pathways.

For Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2026, investing in trained First Aiders is the most concrete way to build a community where employees feel safe enough to ask for help.

A short call to understand your workplace and recommend the right mix of training.