Comments on: Smoking and Your Job https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html Everything to make HR better Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: HR Wench https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1542 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:55:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1542 My head just asploded.

That is all.

]]> By: GeekChic https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1541 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:45:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1541 Evil,

Yes – smoking is a choice that does have consequences. My point is that everyone makes bad choices at some point. I’m not comfortable with a society that is that eager to write someone off.

Also, as I said earlier, this is not going to stop at supposed “bad choices”. There has already been an instance in the U.S. where a man did not have his contract renewed because he refused to submit to a genetic test that his employer thought he needed (fortunately he found another job). How would you feel if your boss came up to you and said, “You know Evil, you’re getting older and you work with critical HR data so we want to ensure that your faculties are all in order. Please submit to this genetic test for early-onset Alzheimer’s to continue your employment.”?

Anyway, I’ve said enough (too much probably). And I’m probably not going to convince anyone of anything, unfortunately.

]]> By: Evil HR Lady https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1540 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:06:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1540 Geekchic,

You are right. I don’t have a problem with it. Smoking is a choice. Choices have consequences. A good thing to remember is that you get to make whatever choice you want, but you don’t get to choose the consequences.

Would I recommend a company take this particular path? Probably not. But, if they wanted to, I see no problem with it.

]]> By: GeekChic https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1539 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:13:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1539 Evil – Your flippant reaction to the situation certainly made it sound like you didn’t have a problem with it. If you really do, I stand corrected.

And no I don’t think that countries with universal health care are immune from this type of inhumanity. My hope is that the head start that the U.S. already has with these types of policies (and their consequences) will shake some sense into people and encourage people up here (or anywhere else, for that matter) not to go down that path.

]]> By: Sharpiefan https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1538 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:32:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1538 A great case study to the “you can’t work here if you smoke” debate is Scott’s Miracle Grow. They implemented a smoke free policy around three years ago and should start getting results on whether the theory even works. They are the pioneers on this issue and the trends will start moving bigger corporations towards a smoke free workforce. My company (fortune 100) recently banned all smoking at employee entrances. I think it was a great move and challeneged us HR folks to make decisions on where to put the smokers. Conventional wisdom told us to ban smoking on the property. I’m sure in 2 – 5 years that will be the next step.

]]> By: Evil HR Lady https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1537 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:39:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1537 William the Coroner–I think that was the best comment I’ve ever had.

Geekchic–First of all, I didn’t say whether I thought the company had a good idea or a bad idea, I just explained how it got there. Second, do you think countries with universal health care are going to be immune from this type of thing?

Sure, businesses won’t have reason to discriminate on such things, but New Zealand is already refusing to let people immigrate based on BMI, and the UK is thinking about cutting off health services to overweight people.

Whoever pays gets the power. Personally, I’d rather have power over my own life.

]]> By: GeekChic https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1536 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:42:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1536 Ugh – I don’t like smokers but this company’s attitude (and Evil’s support of it) are exactly why I left the U.S. and returned to Canada. My current employer hired me knowing I have cancer (and no I didn’t “deserve it” or “bring it on myself”). I wonder how happy people will be when this attitude reaches its natural conclusion… mandatory genetic testing (I’m sorry, you have the breast cancer gene, you just won’t do).

]]> By: William the Coroner https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1535 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:26:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1535 Hr wench

Most people don’t want to see me.

This may go a long way to explain why I’m single…

]]> By: HR Wench https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1534 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:45:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1534 We have a Coroner in the house? Man, I love this blog!

]]> By: JKB https://www.evilhrlady.org/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1533 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:07:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/2007/12/smoking-and-your-job.html#comment-1533 “Don’t like it? Get a different job. Still don’t like it? Complain to FDR.”

Well, FDR also gave us Social Security and such things as unemployment insurance. If lots of employers go this way, these fat smokers won’t be able to get any job and will go on the dole in a SSI disability. So instead of making money and paying taxes, these people will be getting a government check, government medical care and not even have to file a 1040. So the unhealthy habit people get an easy life while the healthy habit types dash from the jog and morning bran muffin to a piled up desk where they put in extra hours to pay the extra taxes only to find after 20 year or so, the stress has widened their girth and they could really use a cigarette. A cigarette they can now have since they just got canned for having high cholesterol and are off on disability.

]]>