My new work place is not vape friendly. Even outdoors.

[sea]

So I started a new job last week and everything is going awesomely. Except today when I went outside to vape someone from facilities came outside to yell at me even though I went out the back door in a relatively private area and no one was around me. During my new employee orientation is was brought up that it is a tobacco-free campus, and I thought about asking about it but decided against it. I had been going outside every day to vape and today someone called facilities on me. I attempted to patiently discuss it with them that it was not tobacco, and I was told that the vapor "was confusing" for other employees and that I needed to do what the smokers did and walk two blocks to the city sidewalk or use it my car. They were extremely rude to me and used a loud voice and did not apologize or tone down when they realized I wasn't actually smoking. I don't have a car and use public transportation and so my other break I went out to the city sidewalk.

Since I'm such a new employee there I really don't want to make waves my second week in. I don't think talking to facilities or any one prior about vaping would have had a positive effect either. There was a smug comment from one of the trainers about how of course it was a tobacco free campus and how silly it was that in the past they used to actually let people smoke in shelters outside. There is a huge bent toward fitness and health in my company's culture which I like, but glaring inconsistencies since they have all sorts of unhealthy foods for sale and the healthy choices are not that healthy and yet the culprits are the smokers or anyone who appears to be a smoker.

I don't know if I'm going to do anything about it, I think I just wanted to share. I know I could find places indoors, but I don't want to sneak around, and I'm not ashamed of vaping. I'm not asking to do it indoors or in the front of the building, and I suppose I will just walk out to the city street from now on. But of course, it's not even close to fair.

 

[Tracey1]

That's really sad. I feel for you.

 

[Hottody]

I would talk to Human Resourses about it. I think they may just not understand. Have your facts ready.

 

[PVPuff&Stuff]

Just a suggestion, but I'd let it drop. Sneaking a vape is very easy, especially if you take little puffs. Hold it in a bit longer and there's really nothing to exhale. Couple extra trips to the bathroom maybe?

You're just going to get people jealous at you because you can do what they can't. Be sneaky instead. Always better than going to HR. Come to think of it, anything is better than going to HR.

 

[MiamiMom63]

In certain situations like when I went to the hospital when my granddaughter was born recently, I go into the bathroom and vape in the bathroom stall and put tissue paper over my mouth and nose and vape away. LOL. No one knows a darn thing and I vape my ars off. lol. I suggest bathroom breaks for you.

 

[Hottody]

Just a suggestion, but I'd let it drop. Sneaking a vape is very easy, especially if you take little puffs. Hold it in a bit longer and there's really nothing to exhale. Couple extra trips to the bathroom maybe?

You're just going to get people jealous at you because you can do what they can't. Be sneaky instead. Always better than going to HR. Come to think of it, anything is better than going to HR.

Human Resourses is supposed to be the middle ground and the voice of reason. Also they are policy driven so if you are not smoking you should be just fine. I would have no issues bringing light to a topic that most do not understand. Why sneak around and risk your job?

 

[PVPuff&Stuff]

Human Resourses is supposed to be the middle ground and the voice of reason. Also they are policy driven so if you are not smoking you should be just fine. I would have no issues bringing light to a topic that most do not understand. Why sneak around and risk your job?

I generally agree with you Hottody, but in my experience that's not usually how these things work out. HR is going to protect the company from liability, bottom line. I'd imagine they would default to cigarette policy. Easier to sneak than making waves....or just go to the car. It is a new job.

 

[dDubs]

I wouldn't have reacted so passively, most likely resulting in loss of said new job. By the sounds of it, I wouldn't want to work there. Ignorant people, man....

 

[October]

I give you credit for the common sense not to risk your new job in this economy. On the other hand I feel they have violated your rights. My work place has stated that anyone using tobacco products or E-cigs will be immediately terminated. Is this not a form of discrimination in the work place?

 

[babemomlover]

Definitely stealth vape in the bathroom!

 

[scalewiz]

Shoot the socialist .......s!!

 

[Zooker]

My place of employment is like that, so I vape in the bathroom. No one has seemed to notice that I take extra bathroom breaks now--

 

[Petrodus]

My place of employment is like that, so I vape in the bathroom. No one has seemed to notice that I take extra bathroom breaks now--

Where there's a will there's a way !!

Before I retired ... I took my favorite reading material to the bathroom
and vaped away ... Several times a day ... And was allowed to vape outdoors
so as far as the company knew ... I took the same number of breaks.

There's always a work around.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

Speaking as a Facilities Manager, I can say from experience that, in many cases, facility use & management policies have to be signed off by HR.

Head, meet brick wall!

As others have said, avoid the spies and just vape in the bathroom.

 

[mostapha]

There is a huge bent toward fitness and health in my company's culture which I like, but glaring inconsistencies since they have all sorts of unhealthy foods for sale and the healthy choices are not that healthy

Of course. If the corporate policies were logically cogent, they wouldn't need to be policies.

 

[Baditude]

I work at a hospital. They have a no tobacco products rule, and also the termination policy. I have a locker towards the back of the locker room where we change into scubs uniforms, so my locker is mostly hidden from view upon entering the room.

I vape discretely in my little space. I have co-workers that I trust and who are impressed with my 4 months of non-smoking via e-cigarettes that I am comfortable to vape in front of.

I witnessed a patient vaping just before being carted into the OR. The next day I questioned the head nurse on the unit about hospital policy about e-cigarettes. She said she wasn't aware if there was one, and would contact her supervisor. I did mention to her that I was proudly smoke-free for x-months because of e-cigs, and that my hope was that the hospital did allow patients to use them because they are an alternative nicotine delivery system like nicotine gum and patches, which are allowed. The nurse got back to me a couple of days later saying there currently was not a specific policy concerning patients and e-cigarettes, but they will work on one in the near future to prohibit their use.

I asked her why, and her response was that there isn't enough supportive or scientific data on the safety of e-cigarettes to patients or the effects of the "smoke" to others.

 

[Fiamma]

Thank you BP, CDC, ALA, ACS, FDA and all the other alphabet soup orgs.

 

[79Silo]

Sorry to hear that.. i know the pain you facing..

 

[Poeia]

I used to say that "they" (the non-smoking holier-than-thou crowd) will be happy until they can make smokers stand in the middle of the street, getting hit by cars. But you are in Minneapolis. Walking blocks outdoors in January is insane. They're not going to be happy until they you all freeze to death.

My suggestion is get some unflavored e-liquid or a mint flavored one (they smell like gum). Then no one will know you are vaping unless you exhale in their faces.

 

[sea]

Thanks for all the support. The cool thing is that I should eventually have the ability to telecommute which of course means I can vape my head off while working at home. I know I could sneak around and use the bathroom, but since the weather is currently nice out, I don't mind going outside even it is walking to the city sidewalk. I don't have a car to vape in. This winter will probably suck.

My company leases from a property management company and is on their campus, so I think the tobacco-free is a combined policy of both organizations. There is no policy on vaping, but they may write one now... Again, I was told that it wasn't against policy, I was just "confusing" people to call facilities on me. Definite face palm.