How does your boss treat you concerning CPAP?

I am by no means a skinny or slim person. In fact I am overweight and I am the first to admit it but I really don't find it fair for others to judge someone diagnosed with sleep apnea and say that you wouldn't have that problem if you would lose weight.
Well, that is what my boss has told me, on several different occasions. He has that mentality that if I lose weight then all of my problems are solved. He doesn't understand that people with different body types and weights have sleep apnea. Losing weight is important for overall health if a person is seriously overweight but that is a personal decision and should not be brought up, especially in a group setting. If it is an issue that impairs a persons ability to do their job then a boss has the right to pull that employee to the side and talk to them, but never, ever in front of their peers.
My weight does not keep me from doing my job and I feel that his comments are just plain malicious and judgemental, not to mention uninformed. Have any of you ran into this in the workplace and if so how did you handle it?

Talk to him about it clearly or with support from HR if needed.

Your boss is not very bright. Making comments like that to you whether in private or in front of others is creating a "hostile work environment" for you and you have rights against that! I don't know if you work for a large or small company or whether there is a Human Resources office but you do not have to put up with that treatment. If this company is any size at all then there should be written policy against this sort of harassment. And by him always bringing up your weight, harassment is exactly what the jerk is guilty of.
If this is a small company and he is the owner there may not be any written policy and he makes all the rules anyway. I don't know how important this particular job is to you or how hard it might be to find another in this bad economy but you have a right to stand up to him and tell him he has no right to speak to you that way. If you really need this particular job and there is no written policy or Human Resources you may need an attorney to get him to stop.
Geez, people like him absolutely infuriate me!!
Maggie

silver123 wrote:Talk to him about it clearly or with support from HR if needed.

Good advice. Especially the "if needed."

My approach may not be standard. It rarely is. But this might be what I would do, depending . . .

I might tell him that I understand he likely has my best interests at heart but that his comments may not be coming across the way he means them. I might let him know exactly what I felt and might explain that he may not want to take the risk of giving medical advice to people unsolicited, especially in front of others, since it could make him look silly. Perhaps he does not understand that ALL people, no matter what their weight, need to be active and eat healthy, so it isn't fair to single out one person based on appearances for giving that advice, no matter how well intentioned. If need be, and he was worth it, I might take the time to explain to him that some overweight people end up eating very unhealthy diets in an attempt to lose weight due to social pressures and do more damage to their health than good. And he would never want to be responsible for causing that to happen, would he?

The following information from the New York Times may be helpful to him, if he is worth helping. He may actually appreciate the education if you handle it right. Or maybe not. In that case body slam him with HR. (I am overweight enough myself to have a pretty mean body slam.):

http://www.nytimes.com/info/obesity/?sc ... e#overview

Bearcat42 wrote:I am by no means a skinny or slim person. In fact I am overweight and I am the first to admit it but I really don't find it fair for others to judge someone diagnosed with sleep apnea and say that you wouldn't have that problem if you would lose weight.
Well, that is what my boss has told me, on several different occasions. He has that mentality that if I lose weight then all of my problems are solved. He doesn't understand that people with different body types and weights have sleep apnea. Losing weight is important for overall health if a person is seriously overweight but that is a personal decision and should not be brought up, especially in a group setting. If it is an issue that impairs a persons ability to do their job then a boss has the right to pull that employee to the side and talk to them, but never, ever in front of their peers.
My weight does not keep me from doing my job and I feel that his comments are just plain malicious and judgemental, not to mention uninformed. Have any of you ran into this in the workplace and if so how did you handle it?

oh wow, bearcat, Im so sorry you have been having to put up with THAT.. Its not right, and you should stop him in his tracks.
He needs to be educated..
If you can pull him aside, and tell him that you would like to explain to him about how a person can get an OSA diagnosis.
You can tell him, that you, were also not aware of the reasons why this can happen, and it would be a good thing for everyone to know, as perhaps
at sometime in the future, with this knowledge HE could save the life of a friend..
As you know.. there are many causes of OSA.. even little babies and little kids can have this WHO are not overweight..
As adults these are some of the causes.. and sometimes its a combination of several.. or all of them!
Large tongues, small mouths, permanent teeth extractions as small children, slanted pallets, small throats, swollen throats from acid reflux, large
adenoids, large tonsils.... and what about central apnea? Your brain doesnt tell your body to take a breath, that has nothing to do with weight, and neither
do any of the other things I listed.. He needs information, go ahead and fill him in.. and if he doesnt want to hear it, I would go another route to
shut his big trap..
good luck! let us know how this turns out.. I hope it all works out..
Bye the way, it is not uncommon for people to BLAME you for an illness, because that way, they feel safe THEY wont get what YOU have..
Happens all the time.. I know someone who told me, had I just gone to the chiropractor a few times, I wouldnt have sleep apnea!
Hang in there!
elena

Unless you nap during the day and use the machine there, why does it matter to him that you use cpap? for that matter how does he know?

In any event i would print out the HIPPA laws and have him review them.

Ask him what his advice would be to the many professional and Olympic athletes who also have OSA! Or the thousands of thin and fit OSA patients! I have a colleague who showed very little empathy for me and said I should just follow good nutrition and exercise. People are unaware and have preconceived notions.... education is the only way to combat this type of ignorance.

Bodyslams also might work!

Oh my, he is so wrong! I am 5'6 and weigh 130 lbs. and I have severe sleep apnea! Print this out and give it to him!!!!!!!

Reggie White (NFL football player) died from Sleep Apnea. You do not need to be overweight to have sleep apnea. My doctor said I have a very large tongue and very tiny airways so I guess that blows your boss's theory out of the water. What an a-hole!

My doctor clearly believes the same thing but when questioned directly had to say, "No, there is no evidence that weight loss makes a difference."
I know a guy with sleep apnea whose nickname is "Stick." Go figure.
As my DME says, "There is no profile."

How about: Thanks, sounds like you've been doing some research. I'd love to talk about it with you. When have you got time?
This would either scare him off/shut him up, or give you a chance to update his ideas.

Or maybe I've listened to too many Manager Tools podcasts!

I love noseinabook's suggetion! Bearcat42, I don't know what industry you work in, but I imagine there's some kind of law preventing your boss from acting like this. Whether it would be worth pursuing legal action would be a tough call, though. That's why I think nose's suggestion might be helpful. Direct and classy. Fortunately, my boss and I are blissfully unaware of anything that happens in each other's bedrooms...

Though I agree this creates a hostile work environment, I tend to agree with jnk that this type of problem is best handled "head on".

As jnk suggests you would talk with him, but in a manner that takes the "hurt" out of the equation. Explain that while you understand his desire to help, the fact is there is more of a correlation in hereditary factors than in weight.

Let me provide a simple example. My grandfather almost certainly died of undiagnosed sleep apnea. (They did not know what it was at the time, but his heart gave out over the stress of stopping breathing so many times of the years). My mother has sleep apnea. And I have had sleep apnea since I reached about 15 years of age. Severe sleep apnea, based on the symptoms. I was UNDER weight at the time. I am now definitely obese, but I *know* which came first. I slept poorly, and my body started to hoard energy and food. I would often eat to stay awake, and then later to fall asleep. And studies show that in most cases obstructive sleep apnea runs in families.

But to say the weight causes the sleep apnea is downright wrong. I've had more than one ENT say that I should not have sleep apnea, because my airway is so open. Weight has little to do with it. And I've read more than one study that shows the obstructive sleep apnea leads to weight gain, not the other way around.

I wish you well with your situation.

Your mistake for letting him know your health issues. They should be kept private.

correct me if i'm wrong .....but i believe bearcat is an over the road trucker required by law to be cleared medically to drive. with any diagnosis of any type of apnea he must obtain a waiver from his doctor. often times the companies will contact a single provider for the operators they employ to provide the physicals/certifications. the company is also required by law to keep all records relating to the qualification/disqualification of any operators it employs.

yes it's harassment and probably a hippa violation to speak of someones medical condition in a public setting. problem is it's the real world out there. tough call . depends on the size of the company. most trucking companies don't have a grip on the fact that they as document holders fall under the hippa laws. even more confusing is the fact that you have dot regulations and now homeland security codes all mixed in the fray. what takes precedence?(and who can afford a bloodsucking lawyer)

all i can say is do what you see fit, live with it in good conscience and good luck

I came across some interesting trucking/OSA articles while doing research. Heck, they even had a conference in May just on trucking and OSA: http://www.satc2010.org/