Should businesses ban smoking at work due to "third hand smoke?"
At Mahalo for example, we sit in a big open room... a foot or two away from each other. Teams of smokers take multiple breaks a day and come in reeking of smoke.
Obviously not fair to the non-smokers to be subjected to this.
Thoughts? Should businesses ban smoking at work or just not hire smokers?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=third-hand-smoke-contains-carcinoge-2010-02-08
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M$15 Answers
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M$The report you link to is about smoking that settled into the place where people smoked. So if you had a room where you allowed smoking and then converted it to a general lounge that would be a concern, or if you are in a car where someone has regularly smoked, that is a theoretical concern (theoretical because there's been no study of the results of people exposed to such situations). A little smoke sticking to someone's clothing isn't the same. Barring new evidence, claiming "it's a risk to employees health" is just fearmongering or rationalization.
Is there an odor issue? Potentially. If you're forcing them into enclosed cars or a small room or other tight space to smoke, it's likely to be a great issue. But where does it stop? I can't abide the smell of garlic - if I worked at Mahalo, would you ban the consumption of foods cooked with garlic at lunches? I also am not fond of cologne, would you ban that too?
Here's where the issue is. I'm old enough to remember when people worked in offices, either an individual office or two, maybe three people sharing offices. I saw cubicles come, real loss of privacy but at least you still had a place for personalization, pin up a picture, become human.
"At Mahalo for example, we sit in a big open room... a foot or two away from each other." From the pictures, it seems like you're hiring adults, professional people. You're treating them like anything but adult professionals.
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M$
If you want to create a completely smoke free environment, you have every right to. You might want to offer these smokers some benefits for quitting. Dangle something positive and special in front of their noses. Sometime people just need positive reinforcement instead of a snotty lecture (everyone knows how bad it is).
Jason... when did you hire Joe Mantegna and Jim Gaffigan? Are they the smokers in question? I'd leave 'em alone if I were you. ;)
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M$
Consider also the significantly lower health insurance claims (and costs) and the reduction in days requested off by sick employees whose health just isn't up to snuff. Some employers are not only requiring nonsmoking employees, they require employees to be actively engaged in proactive fitness activities, or if not require, they do everthing BUT require it, including health risk assesments tied to a sliding contribution for health insurance. Of course smoking is only one of the risky activities assesed. In Michigan, a few years ago, a company actual fired employees who refused or were unable to quit smoking, after the company paid for "stop-smoking" programs for everyone.
I don't see anything wrong with requiring employees to be nonsmokers. If you want to change over, offer assistance to the current smokers to help them kick the habit. Not only will you have a more pleasant workplace, most of your smoking employees will be able to thank you for helping them kick a habit that many already wanted to kick. They will miss less days of work, be more productive (during time previously wasted on multiple smoke breaks), and they will finally be able to taste the delicious bag lunches provided during lunch hour training sessions (maybe not that last one).
sources:
http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/2007/01/msoc1-0701.html
http://www.policeapp.com/Jobs/jobDisplay.asp?jobId=44&job=CT_Police_Jobs_Law_Enforcement_Jobs_in_West_Hartford_Police_Department
http://www.wellnesscheckpoint.com/
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Brynner,%20Yul/Annex/Annex%20-%20Brenner,%20Yul%20%28Magnificent%20Seven,%20The%29_01.jpg
Excellent from Chris of the Magnificent seven.
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z229/Swinging_Sixties/Films/TheMagnificentSeven1960YulBrynnerSt.jpg
How do we edit comments?
[img]http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z229/Swinging_Sixties/Films/TheMagnificentSeven1960YulBrynnerSt.jpg[/img]
33,808 people were killed in driving accidents in 2009. None would die if driving were banned. How about extreme sports? Or adventure travel? Or flying? Or elective surgery? My point is people frequently take ‘risks’ with their health and lives (that’s why there IS insurance) so where do we draw the line? I absolutely agree smoking in the workplace should be banned, but this ‘third hand smoke’ hyperbole is ridiculous.
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M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
And, third hand smoke has been recently shown to be the worst as it has the highest concentration of the toxic substances. But, it should be considered that the reports I have read focus mostly on the affects of third hand smoke on the children of smokers who smoke in the house; even if they only do it when the kids are not there, the heavily toxic particulates that settle on everything - especially the carpet where kids often play - can be quite harmful to kids. So, the third hand smoke that smokers bring back in with them is not as much an issue in the workplace environment compared to the plain old nose curdling aspect of it.
Many businesses ban smoking at work altogether because of this aspect. And there are business that having an all-out no smoking even off work policy; this is usually due to health insurance costs and the like, but I know one small business owner who also does because he considers it a demonstration of bad judgment and he doesn't want it to carry over into the workplace.
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M$
(ever sit across from a guy smoking Turkish cigarettes?).
Given your office layout, I have three suggestions:
1) Add at least a yard of space between the desks.
2) Keep a bottle of cheap perfume or aerosol at hand
(don't go nuts; just a quick spritz should help).
3) Hire more women! ;)
P.S. It really bugs me when smokers hang around
near or in front of the entranceways
(either or both the main and/or employee-only doors),
forcing employees and/or clients to pass through a wall of fog
that, by comparison, makes smog seem like a pleasant perfume!
When asked, politely, to move, their responses,
with the top being the most popular, are :
1) "It's a free world."
2) "Make me."
3) (puffs in my face) (FYI, that's considered "assault and battery" in many cities)
4) "It's raining/snowing/windy/sunny/hot/etc".
(yeah . . . absolutely horrifying to get temporarily wet or sunburnt,
but not to destroy your lungs and risk cancer;
"HACK! COUGH! WHEEZE! It's just a cold that I've had for 20 years!
NOTHING to do with smoking! Even my doctor said so between puffs!") ;)
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
bit of a jerk answer no?
ha. i guess it's on perspective. I view the smokers as jerks who have no concern for others discomfort being around their addiction (generally speaking). This includes littering of buts on sidewalks and out car windows.
I do think it is valid to judge a person based on their personal habits, especially something as black and white destructive as smoking.
I've worked in a number of companies, known people who smoked when it was socially accepted, some have quit, some haven't. And I know some who smoke now.
Smoking is bad. It's expensive, it's definitely dangerous to the person's health, it's potentially dangerous to other people's health, there's no benefit and I do not tolerate it around me.
But... as I said, I've known a lot of smokers, and while each one would be better off if he or she didn't smoke, many of them are among the finest people I know. Many are hard working and quite disciplined, most of them are very polite and try to help others whenever possible, and some of them could only be described as brilliant. Any organization that would fire any and all smokers are cutting themselves off of a lot of quality people. (And that's completely setting aside the impact on the people themselves. But hey, if they're smokers, they're disposable, right?)
