Casino in Ohio Will Not be Hiring Smokers

[jackfaire]

Anything less than all facilities owned means they aren't really serious and anything outside of company time is over reaching.

Unless the company is paying for more than 75% of your medical care. If you have more health risks due to a habit like smoking that will drive up the premiums.

I think a better solution though would be simple, if your caught smoking you have to buy your own health insurance.

Personally I think that's fair. If your doing something to intentionally endanger your own health when you know better then other people shouldn't have to foot the bill for that.

[BlaqueKatt]

Problem with thinking like this leads to:

Smokingeating an unhealthy diet and not exercising can and does lead to all kinds of health issues, so it is a liability for any employer who offers health insurance benefits to their employees.

I think a better solution though would be simple, if your caught smoking drinking a beer, eating some KFC, or rock climbing you have to buy your own health insurance.

Personally I think that's fair. If your doing something to intentionally endanger your own health when you know better then other people shouldn't have to foot the bill for that.

and healthcare costs for drinking is WAY higher than for smoking, and obesity is climbing right up there. Sorry I don't believe in saying "this choice is bad, but this one that costs more is fine because it's socially acceptable."
alcohol-85.8 billion
smoking-65 billion
obesity-27 billion

but again alcohol is "socially acceptable", I can't count the number of times I've been out at a pub drinking soda, and been told how disgusting I was when I stepped out for a smoke, by people that couldn't stand(much less walk), had pissed their pants or were covered in vomit.

Source 1-report on all 3
Source 2-alcohol
Source 3-smoking
Source 4-obesity


in the UK, obesity trumps smoking and drinking for health care costs

state's that protect an employee's rights to legal off-duty activities
An employer should NOT have the right to dictate what an employee legally does in their off time, unless you believe the employer "owns" the employee.

[Greenday]

Smokers aren't protected under any kind of discrimination laws

Probably has something to do with the fact that smoking is a choice.

[MadMike]

An employer should NOT have the right to dictate what an employee legally does in their off time, unless you believe the employer "owns" the employee.

This. The company has every right to tell you not to smoke on the job, or even on their property. They do not have the right to tell you what you can and can't do on your own time. It is simply none of their fucking business.

Probably has something to do with the fact that smoking is a choice.

But where does it end? If a company can fire people for anything that's a "choice", they could fire people for all kinds of stupid shit, like reading romance novels, listening to folk music, driving a foreign car, etc.

I don't smoke, and if I haven't started after almost 43 years, I doubt I will. But it troubles me that these companies are allowed to dictate their employees' personal lives like that. Yes, it does affect people's health, which can affect insurance costs. But again, I ask where does it end? Firing people for drinking? Eating junk food? Having unprotected sex? Playing sports?

I find it ironic that some of these employers piss and moan about not being able to find good employees, when they're firing and/or refusing to hire people for stupid bullshit reasons.

A few years ago, when the issue of employers firing employees for illegal activity done after hours (i.e. smoking a joint) came up, I was troubled by the number of people who actually supported the idea. I felt that it would lead to employers firing people for perfectly legal things done off the clock, such as smoking. People acted like I was crazy for thinking that. Sometimes I hate being right.

[Greenday]

Yea, but how often do you see people constantly needing to take an alcohol break or a junk food break? Definitely not like smokers who seem to have to take a break at least once an hour to smoke. I can completely understand not letting people smoke or take smoke breaks while at work. There are smokers who have no problem just not smoking while at work. But those smokers seem to be of a rarer variety. What people do on their own time is their own business unless they are doing something that will harm the company they work for. But while on the job, you are supposed to be working and if the company wants to go so far as to tell you how to act at work, I find no problem with that.

[Andara Bledin]

Yea, but how often do you see people constantly needing to take an alcohol break or a junk food break?

Coffee breaks. Some of the people I work with take more coffee breaks than they do work breaks, and I'm certain this isn't unique to my workplace.

^-.-^

[bara]

Probably has something to do with the fact that smoking is a choice.

So is getting pregnant. Should companies also forbid employees to have sex?

[DrFaroohk]

If smokers are taking too many breaks, it's not the cigarette's fault. Even if there was no smoking, it's a lazy person trying to get out of work. Blame the person not the habit.

Or they're super productive and figured they've earned it. I used to haul ass at my C-store job and was frequently taking hourly smoke breaks, yet all my work got done and managed to pick up the slack from other shifts. Whenever I'd do my overnight shifts I'd get all my stuff done, all the shit done they didn't do on the second shift, and get all the boss's morning paperwork crap done, and still smoke like crazy.

Also helps that I used to smoke incredibly fast back then. I figure 1-3 minutes every hour is still better than 15 minutes every two.

[AdminAssistant]

Somewhat related....say someone was a heavy smoker and *smelled* like a heavy smoker. Bad breath, yellowed teeth, the whole bit. Would it be okay to fire someone for those reasons, especially in the hospitality industry?

[Greenday]

So is getting pregnant. Should companies also forbid employees to have sex?

No, but then I also don't think they should be forced to support someone who chose to get pregnant.

[bara]

Somewhat related....say someone was a heavy smoker and *smelled* like a heavy smoker. Bad breath, yellowed teeth, the whole bit. Would it be okay to fire someone for those reasons, especially in the hospitality industry?

As long as its a hygiene issue only. The same rule would apply to a stanky person regardless of the reason they smelled bad or are otherwise nasty. But it would have to follow the 'write up' rules. Like 1 2 3 your out type of deal. Not a you smoke so you are fired rule.

[MadMike]

What people do on their own time is their own business unless they are doing something that will harm the company they work for. But while on the job, you are supposed to be working and if the company wants to go so far as to tell you how to act at work, I find no problem with that.

If that was directed towards me, I already said that I agree with the company's right not to allow their employees to smoke on their property, which would include breaks. Interestingly enough, one of the businesses in my area does just that -- no smoking on the property at all. Sometimes if you drive past, you'll see people hanging out across the street to smoke.

If smokers are taking too many breaks, it's not the cigarette's fault. Even if there was no smoking, it's a lazy person trying to get out of work. Blame the person not the habit.

Agreed. Like I said in my previous post, I don't smoke myself, but sometimes I'll step outside anyway just to get away from my desk for a few minutes. My supervisors don't have a problem with this, since I always get my work done on time, if not early, so I don't have a problem with people taking smoke breaks.

Somewhat related....say someone was a heavy smoker and *smelled* like a heavy smoker. Bad breath, yellowed teeth, the whole bit. Would it be okay to fire someone for those reasons, especially in the hospitality industry?

I would think that that would fall under having to keep yourself clean. Interestingly enough, one of the hospitals in my area (I forget which one) doesn't allow employees to smoke at all during the work day, not even on break. They don't want them smelling like smoke around the patients. I can see both sides of that one.

[dendawg]

Probably has something to do with the fact that smoking is a choice.

Depends on how long you've been smoking. Like with alcohol, addiction to nicotine is very much possible.

[blas87]

We couldn't smoke for about 6 months, until the company changed our shifts around and then had to allow us 30 minute lunch breaks, which means clock out, which means we can leave, which means YES A CIGARETTE BREAK!!! Still have to leave company property altogether, but this time of year, it's good to warm up the car for a few minutes anyway and get it cleaned off. And this past summer, it was fun to take a walk around the industrial park and have a smoke.

It was mostly for insurance purposes that the company banned smoking, but I will admit, there were smokers that ruined it for everyone by wasting a LOT of company time by taking too long of breaks, and too many extra breaks.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of non-smokers who would fall asleep or just lounge and take their sweet time on break, but there were also lots of smokers who would sneak out of their area any time the leads or supers were at meetings or training sessions (why did this factory make convenient sneaky routes? Then complain that people snuck around?!) and would catch extra smoke breaks.

A handfull of day shift engineers would do nothing but walk the halls and smoke every damn hour back before the ban. Before breaks were changed to every 3 hours, people would take half hour 10-15 minute breaks, or just walk around chugging coffee and chatting with people.

[DrFaroohk]

Meh I think a lot of the smell factor is psychological.

I suppose same as the smokes themselves. You used to see them everywhere. Signs, billboards, TV, movies, magazines, everyone had a cigarette all the time and you got to see that only the cool people had cigarettes.

Now it's the opposite, and many people are basically being hypnotized with the dangers of smoking, so any time someone smells even a whiff of it they're "COUGH COUGH HACK HACK!" And they'll think "Aw man my asthma is really acting up!" except it's not that, it's in your head, because you're been brainwashed into believing these things are radioactive death sticks that will kill you in a second.