My Boss is Nonplussed...

[Rocketpunk]

I work at a high volume, instantly recognizable restaurant, and the bulk of us employees smoked. We used to sneak into the bathroom when our boss was on the line, and we'd smoke there. This infuriated our boss. The only time we were allowed to smoke was during our "trash run" at the end of the night, outside. Behind the restaurant. Now we went from about 4 or 5 smokers left, and they are all interested in our gadgets and expressed interest in switching.

If I get caught vaping on the line, my boss will confiscate my VV and return it at the end of the shift. He isn't a smoker, and he doesn't understand how much fun we vapers have with new tech. I do my best to respect others, but I often find myself in the employee bathroom, with another co-worker, to explain the latest atty or whatnot.

I'm sad to say that our boss decided vaping is the same as smoking, and no one is allowed to "sneak off" to vape, smoke, take a shot., etc. I'd never abandon my post, or leave a table hanging, but dang. We're not stinking up the back of the house anymore. We're all much more placid. But somehow he learned what a "stealth vape" is and said if we attempt to do one on-the-line, he'd consider it the same as smoking. He's not worried about himself, he's worried about our customers.

Also, this concept blows his mind. He's dead set believing that all us vapers are going to have three legged babies or shrunken testes. I do my best to advise him, but he just won't listen.

 

[Petrodus]

I'm sad to say that our boss decided vaping is the same as smoking

This world is packed full of idiots ...
Ban Idiots !!

 

[bivie]

Unfortunately, I think we have a long road ahead of us with this battle. And if the damn
government doesn't stop getting involved in things that aren't their job, they will make
the battle much worse. We need to keep up the fight and hope for the best, but be
prepared for the worse.

 

[Petrodus]

Oh, ... The FDA (AKA employees of the pharmaceutical industry)
will not stop demonizing e-cigs. The FDA must protect BP sales
of the gums, patches, and pills.

Finding out our government and its agencies are lying to us
should not come as any big surprise.

Edit
There's more to the problem than just the FDA.
There are Prohibitionists and ANTZ

Basically ... If it even reminds someone of tobacco
then it should be banned.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I think he (our boss) is just really confused by all this. He used to have at least twenty smokers on his staff, now we're down to about three or four. Those who still smoke real cigs still sneak off to the bathrooms to hotbox. He'll look over that, which blows my mind. But if he walks past a group of us vapers fellowshipping, even during a slow period, he makes us scatter. He is deadset in his mind that we're all smoking antifreeze and refuses to let us use our gadgets, especially if his daughter or pregnant wife is in the building (we're not irresponsible vapers, we're not going to puff up and blow vape clouds at his pregnant wife or daughter). I thought our boss would be happy our employee bathrooms no longer reek of cig smoke. And if we sneak off to "vape", it's usually no longer than 2 minutes, maybe even less. Whereas groups of employees would disappear at a time. But no more stealth vaping on the line. Even if we hold it in and don't release vapor clouds, it's still banned. He was used to seeing ego Ts and as soon as he saw my Torpedo with the SmokTech dct tank on it, he said, "Uh uh, no way, put that away." Meanwhile, as he was saying that, another employee was sifting through her purse for her pack of smokes so she could sneak off to the bathrooms.

I wanted to point that out, but the drama it would cause wouldn't be... beneficial to our work environment.

 

[Rocketpunk]

Petrodus, is that a photoshopped image of indy, or is it a mad/cracked parody? I look at it and it's weird...

 

[Petrodus]

Petrodus, is that a photoshopped image of indy, or is it a mad/cracked parody? I look at it and it's weird...

Oh, that's a picture of me
Lots of people think I'm weird

(some call me Indy)

 

[bivie]

Oh, that's a picture of me
Lots of people think I'm weird

(some call me Indy)

Looks like Indy meets Jed Clampett.

 

[Petrodus]

Looks like Indy meets Jed Clampett.

And your avatar is soooooo appealing !!

 

[bivie]

And your avatar is soooooo appealing !!

LOL. Yeah, I changed that today for the Halloween thing. I think the one I had before
was spookier

 

[Eddie.Willers]

I hafta' say this - your boss sounds like an absolute tool!
Closed minded, unwilling to learn, closed ears - meh!

 

[Rocketpunk]

I hafta' say this - your boss sounds like an absolute tool!
Closed minded, unwilling to learn, closed ears - meh!

Yep. But his name is over the restaurants doors, so what he says, goes. Still... he's a tool.

Ha ha, to be honest...... I still stealth vape!!!!

When he's gone and our normal manager is there, she lets us vape away.

 

[cwolfman13]

Unfortunately for your boss...and frankly, many, many others, it all boils down to the old adage..."If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...." Frankly, the average person out there doesn't distinguish between "vapor" and "smoke" when it comes to these things. Heck, another member of our executive team here at work is still ...... that the CEO told me I could "smoke" (vape) in my office because, "HE'S STILL BLOWING SMOKE." She makes all kinds of hacking noises, fake coughing, etc every time she walks by my office door. Funny, it doesn't bother anybody else...though my admin assistant does take to sneezing when I vape my green tea/raspberry juice.

As far as the layman becoming educated in such matters...it's a tough road to hoe; for one, you have years and years and decades of "programming" to muddle through in RE to, not only is smoking bad for you...it's down right evil, and you're a very bad person for choosing that life style. For another, they simply don't care...many, if not most of the clueless have nary picked up a cigarette or have had to go through the punishment of trying to quit. There's no amount of explaining harm reduction, etc to these types of people...they're of the mindset of, "why don't you just quit, you're just supplementing one device for another."

In RE to the anti-freeze thing...I've gotten that one too, from my mother in law of all people. All she knows of PG is that it is in anti-freeze...therefore, I must be "smoking anti-freeze." "It looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...." Never mind the countless other products, including asthma inhalers that use PG as a main ingredient.

 

[Black Strat]

Unfortunately, I think we have a long road ahead of us with this battle. And if the damn
government doesn't stop getting involved in things that aren't their job, they will make
the battle much worse. We need to keep up the fight and hope for the best, but be
prepared for the worse.

Well stated. If it looks like smoking it must be bad. The thing that really gets my craw are the wailers that vaping will be a gateway to smoking. Ha! If someone did start vaping out of the blue, could you imagine the look on their face when they try a cigarette?? Remember when we all started smoking? We stuck with it because it was the only game in town. It is different story with vaping!

 

[mwplefty]

The barber shop where I get my haircut has a 6x4 breakroom (it's literally that small) where the boss lets her employees smoke. What's weird is that I've never smelled stale analog smoke in spite of walking by the breakroom every time to use the bathroom.