No Smoking in the Building but...

njjel

We are a smoke free work place. However our smokers go outside the building and smoke just outside the door. Our non smokers protest even this as they must pass them to exit/enter the building and the smoke often trails into the building as well. What do you all do with your smokers? Are they permitted to smoke only in designated areas outside the building or do you not permit them to smoke anywhere on the property, etc.? Also the smokers toss their "butts" into the street and sidewalk. A container has been suggested however knowing upper management as i do I'm certain they won't allow funds for this expenditure. Any ideas?

lnelson

We have a 20 ft rule that they can not smoke within 20 feet of any entrance or exit door.

An unused 5 gal metal paint bucket filled with sand at the designated area. We provide an area for them to use also. They are also responsible for scooping it out once a week.

pork1

There are better looking containers than a 5 gal bucket. The bucket approach just stirs up the anger in their denial of their addiction. The 20 foot distance is a start. The company can also put up an overhead cover with picnic tables for the smokers to use, as well as, anyone else who does not mind the smell of smoke or the 2nd dary effects of smoke. The mess of "butts" is truly just that a mess. None of the smokers want to clean up after each other! Our General Manager has threatened to move the distance to the corner of the facility lot. With that someone or two of their clan have begun to police the trash and clean up.

Good luck! It continues to be nasty and not yet expensive enough habit for them to quit. Maybe someday someone will come up with a better habit for our smokers to use and to spend their money and exercise their "God Given right to choose".

PORK

lhill

Effective 09/01/2004 we changed our "Smoking" policy to a "Tobacco Use Policy" which states, loosely phrased, that employees cannot use tobacco in any form on company property, in company vehicles, on company work sites, or while they are on paid status. Basically, they can smoke before they come to work, at lunch (if not in one of the restricted areas) and after they leave in the afternoon. There were a lot of "I'm going to quit, by golly, if you try to tell me I can't smoke/dip/chew on the job", but no one has quit, and the furor has died down. Apparently we can tell them what the can and cannot do while we are paying them. If people are smoking right outside the door where it can be sucked in and get into the air conditioning/heating system, there is a chance of exposing non-smoking employees to second hand smoke. Then, if one of them has an allergy and gets sick, guess what? You have exposed them to an unsafe work environment. OSHA was working on this, but bowed to pressure from the tobacco companys and, last I heard, has not addressed it again.

WO

Our current policy states no smoking in buildings, facilities or vehicles. We of course have the smoking group right outside the door that results in complaints from the non-smokers.

Our Board will not finance a smoking structure or covered area. So our revised policy prohibits smoking within 25 feet of any county building unless within your own personal closed vehicle.

This seems to answer all the needs but still expect to get objections.

HRCalico

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 03-11-05 AT 03:42PM (CST)[/font][br][br]lhill - I'm curious to see if you really think that solved the problem or drove it underground. We also banned chewing tobacco, but I'm pretty sure that if I went out and did a random mouth check (eeewwww!), I'd find a few to several violaters.

By the way, our production manager sent a few people out to pick up butts on a slow afternoon. I'm hoping the yucky experience will encourage them to keep it clean and make them want to encourage others to keep it clean.

KCHR

Any chance I could get a copy of your policy. My group is looking to go in this direction as well.

lhill

HRCalico: No, we are not naive enough to think that it's not going on behind our backs (acutally, out in the field since we are an electric distribution company), but it sure has stopped tobacco use around the building and in vehicles. Those who choose to use it outside the building are doing so at a risk they will be caught.

KCHR: Do you want a copy of our policy, or were you asking someone else? I'll be glad to send it to your email address.

Linda

KCHR

I'd love to get a copy of your policy. What I have drafted so far doesn't flow very well, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated! My e-mail address is [email]kendall@diversifiedstaff.com[/email]

HRCalico

Well, I'm not proud to admit this: we didn't include it in the manual, and I posted a sign that I didn't keep. Stellar way of making policy, I know, but I didn't want to leave you hanging. Sorry.

From my previous non-profit life, I think we took our no smoking policy and just replaced smoking with "use of tobacco products". Of course, there is some editing to go with that.