Fired For Smoking?

[cincygreg]

Being a NON-SMOKER and someone who has no interest in ever smoking again, even I find this a little bit weird.

Fired For Smoking

I'm not a person who spends much (if any) time concerning myself with what other employees do on their free time whether I am in management, or just as a regular employee. Unless it is something that affects me, I really dont get into it. I feel that work life and freetime should be seperate and that it really is no business of bosses or other workers as to what you do when you are not at work. Unless, of course, it somehow effects you. Privacy away from work is important, and though many hang out with co-workers away from the job, there are still rights of privacy for everyone.
With that being said, I do understand that companies want to do all they can to lower health insurance costs, and smokers normally pay more for health insurance. Rightfully so, since they add another health risk to their lives by choosing to smoke. Still, it does seem very Orwellian to tell people they cant smoke at home or away from work. Maybe they need to develope a system where even in group health insurance, the smokers and non-smokers pay seperate rates.

I enjoy my free time, even if it's just relaxing or doing nothing at all and I'm, not real big on the idea of having my work life become part of my freetime by having someone tell me what I can and cant do when I'm not at work.

People work to live. Jobs are important because for most, that is their source of income to live on. Hence, working to live. Living to work, on the other hand means that your job is your entire life. You do everything about work, you live just for your job. That isnt healthy. You have to find some time, even if it's only a few minutes a day where work is not the basis of your being or you'll go nuts!

<font color="#FFFFAA" size="1">[ May 12, 2005 02:27 PM: Message edited by: cincygreg ]</font>

[gae]

(I think) everyone here knows that I smoke, and while I can argue with Jump and the Cap'n about smokefree places until the cows come home, I equate this with Lew's often proposed bowling alley.

If a private employer wants to make a rule that his/her employees must be non smokers, so be it. If a smoker wants the job, he/she will just have to quit smoking or find another job. But, the other side of the coin is that if a private employer (i.e., Lew's Bash and Bowl) wants to allow smoking, that should be OK too.

Non smokers can go to the next place on the block and spend their money. If Greg's Brawl and Bowl is more successful than Lew's Bash and Bowl, then maybe Lew should try a no smoking policy.

For me, I'm just tired of being told by the gubmint what I can and cannot do.

[cincygreg]

I'm sure that a aprt of the argument is also the productivity one. You know the one where they bring up how smokers take more breaks and are therefore less productive.

As a nonsmoker, I see the point of the smoker in not wanting to be told what to do away from work gae, I really do.

But I also iunderstand about the health insurance costs as well.

Seems like it's gonna be a tough fight.

[cincygreg]

Pretty soon we'll have pod like bubbles or something that smokers will have to go into to smoke. [img]eek.gif[/img]

Thought you might find this interesting gae.

SMOKE FREE WORLD

One place I worked had this tiny tiny office, and all the other managers smoked. If I had to be in there too long with them chain smoking the way some of them did, I would go home stinking of smoke and actually sometimes feeling a little bit sick. Not like deathly ill, but just a kind of gross feeling from being in all that smoke and breathing it in. I can sit next to someone at a bar or something, and it really doesnt bother me that much as long as they arent like blowing it on me or something. I sat right next to you at the last gathering, and you were smoking. In fact, if I remember correctly, you asked me if I minded before you lit up. Which was appreciated.

[gae]

I'll buy into the health care cost argument when the same is said of those with diabetes and hypertension. Often, those can be controlled through diet, weight loss and exercise.

I don't have any problem with a work place wanting to be completely smoke free and I don't have a problem with restaurants being smoke free.

And even though I agree that as the business owner, the guy in question as the right to make whatever rules he wants, I think we're going down a very slippery slope.