Obese workers are 'less productive and may need longer rest breaks'
The researchers say their findings were so extreme that overweight people may need to take longer breaks to recover from the strains of work, The Daily Mail reported.
They assessed how long it took for people of various sizes to perform certain tasks in the workplace.
Obese people had, on average, 40 per cent shorter endurance times.
The study, conducted at Virginia Tech and the University at Buffalo in the U.S., examined the endurance of 32 people in four categories: non-obese young, obese young, non-obese older, and obese older.
Each of them completed three tasks that involved a range of skills: hand grip, shoulder elevation, and a simulated assembly operation.