Well, the party's over...ban at work

[gpjoe]

Communication Bulletin

Subject: Clarification of electronic smoking devices and similar smokeless devices
To: All Employees

In response to employee clarification requests and in consideration of the health and welfare of our employees, please be advised that electronic smoking devices (e.g., e-cigarettes or nicotine inhalers) and similar smokeless devices are covered by the existing smoking policies at each facility, and can only be used in facility designated smoking areas. The use of these devices is prohibited wherever smoking is prohibited.

This policy clarification applies to electronic smoking devices (e.g., e-cigarettes), vaporizers, and any similar smokeless device.

Smoking cessation programs, which include FDA approved solutions, are offered by our health care providers and can be found on the HR&A Benefits intranet page for employees interested in obtaining additional information.

If you have further questions, please contact your local HR Representative.

THIS is precisely why I argue that "being courteous and only vaping in the smoking section" doesn't work.

WE ARE PERCEIVED AS SMOKERS. To the ill informed (most people) vaping = smoking.

Anyway, that email greeted me this morning. Maybe it is time to retire.

 

[philoshop]

Sorry to hear that. Hope everything works out for you.

 

[Vicshalls]

The more popular vaping becomes the more this will happen. It has been done at my job and I have seen so many people posting about this. Stealth vaping is the way to go.

 

[Bunnykiller]

wowww... even the "smokeless" nic inhalers too...? those dont even create a vapor...
next will be nic gum and patches on the list
and after that straws will be banned too
and eventually breathing....

 

[Bunnykiller]

wellll... you can always do the drip method, a small drop of juice on the finger tip and lick it up....

 

[bman1977]

If you couldn't smoke in work before and you started vaping to quit smoking why does it matter if you can't vape in work?

 

[LitchOfDoom]

Unfortunately, trying to"educate" the ignorant masses is about as productive as trying to demolish a building with your {Moderated} It doesn't matter if there nic or, my favorite, no fire means no smoke argument. All that matters is what it looks like.

 

[Wissel Joe]

health and welfare of our employees, If my boss pulled this i would tell him i dont want any employees eating McDonalds or any fast food for lunch, No drinks other than water. no coffee, no soda, no juice. got to keep the employees healthy..At my shop the smokers out number the non smokers, I told my boss its Vaping or cigarettes because im gonna do one or the other anyway. he said vaping is fine.

 

[DaveP]

It's inevitable that ecigs will eventually be relegated to the break area smoking sections. Ultimately, most all smokers will quit or swap over to ecigs and the numbers will dictate that controls be put into place. You can't have everyone blowing vapor in a closed area with all the non-smokers. We knew it would come to that.

Electric cars can't park where gas models can't, either.

 

[DaveP]

health and welfare of our employees, If my boss pulled this i would tell him i dont want any employees eating McDonalds or any fast food for lunch, No drinks other than water. no coffee, no soda, no juice. got to keep the employees healthy..At my shop the smokers out number the non smokers, I told my boss its Vaping or cigarettes because im gonna do one or the other anyway. he said vaping is fine.

And, no popcorn in the microwave! It stinks up the whole floor with that putrid fake butter aroma. Who knows whether it off gases Diacetyl or some other sort of evil fumes into the room air?

We don't know what's in it!

 

[maninblackufo]

I work for the goverment, they are starting a general ban March 1st. But it's impossible to enforce. I still vape in my office. I'm comfortably tucked away down a long corridor that has little foot traffic. I havent seen my boss in a month, and i supervise hundreds of people that call me the "bad news bear". Mostly because if i show up at someone's office or work area, it means they are probably under investigation. So people avoid my office like the plague.

 

[kenbu]

I've always... well mostly ;-) ... vaped in the smoking section at work, long before any official policy (which they do have one now). That does not really bother me mostly because I see the smoking section and vape breaks as the only time real socialization outside my immediate group takes place.

It's not the policy that bothers me, it's the fact that they hide behind statements like "in consideration of the health and welfare of our employees", especially since they have no evidence that vaping is actually harmful. In the 30+ years I've been employed, I can't say I've ever worked for a single company that really cared for their employees "health and welfare" outside of how it effects their bottom line.

If they stated "Hey, Cathy down the hall does not like the smell of your strawberry, bananna cream whatever that thing is, can you please take it outside?", my reaction would be to appolgize and take it outside from then on.

This year my company tacked on a "smokers surcharge" onto our health insurance and wrote it up in such a way that it includes any e cigs that contain nicotine. Yes, I guess I could have stated that my juice is nic free and gotten away with it, God knows they are not going to pay for nicotine tests on me or my ejuice. I decided to answer YES, I am a nicotine user. That gives me even more reason to complain about how our management steals money from it's employees (while ironicly making us all take yearly "ETHICS" training courses) and besides, you can't complain that I'm taking yet another "smoke" break, after all, I'm PAYING for those breaks now.

 

[skoony]

you and your fellow vapers must send the management urgent
requests asking if this includes prescribed nicotine inhalers,other
medicinal inhalers,patches and,gum as these put the same amount
of pollutants in the air as e-cigs and your worried about the safety of your
fellow coworkers and your self. tell them we only want our own stuff
in our bodies,not someone else's.
regards
mike

 

[gpjoe]

wowww... even the "smokeless" nic inhalers too...? those dont even create a vapor...
next will be nic gum and patches on the list
and after that straws will be banned too
and eventually breathing....

Yeah I thought that about gum and patches, but apparently nobody has complained about that...yet.

 

[gpjoe]

wellll... you can always do the drip method, a small drop of juice on the finger tip and lick it up....

I'll just go stand outside, though that does affect productivity.

 

[gpjoe]

If you couldn't smoke in work before and you started vaping to quit smoking why does it matter if you can't vape in work?

Read my first post - vaping is NOT smoking.

I used to go outside to smoke. I vaped at my desk. Now I'm classified as a smoker by the ignorants. Make sense? Not to me.

 

[gpjoe]

health and welfare of our employees, If my boss pulled this i would tell him i dont want any employees eating McDonalds or any fast food for lunch, No drinks other than water. no coffee, no soda, no juice. got to keep the employees healthy..At my shop the smokers out number the non smokers, I told my boss its Vaping or cigarettes because im gonna do one or the other anyway. he said vaping is fine.

Because there is no "love this" option, I settled for "like".

 

[bman1977]

Read my first post - vaping is NOT smoking.

I used to go outside to smoke. I vaped at my desk. Now I'm classified as a smoker by the ignorants. Make sense? Not to me.

You obviuosly didn;t even read my post. Didn't you start to vape to quit smoking? If you couldn't smoke at your desk why would you vape at your desk? Vaping should be a means to an end.

 

[bman1977]

This should go under my "This Makes Me Cringe" topic. I hate how people who vape think they are civil rights marchers. If your company creates a policy tou don;t like, QUIT.

 

[gpjoe]

I've always... well mostly ;-) ... vaped in the smoking section at work, long before any official policy (which they do have one now). That does not really bother me mostly because I see the smoking section and vape breaks as the only time real socialization outside my immediate group takes place.

It's not the policy that bothers me, it's the fact that they hide behind statements like "in consideration of the health and welfare of our employees", especially since they have no evidence that vaping is actually harmful. In the 30+ years I've been employed, I can't say I've ever worked for a single company that really cared for their employees "health and welfare" outside of how it effects their bottom line.
If they stated "Hey, Cathy down the hall does not like the smell of your strawberry, bananna cream whatever that thing is, can you please take it outside?", my reaction would be to appolgize and take it outside from then on.

This year my company tacked on a "smokers surcharge" onto our health insurance and wrote it up in such a way that it includes any e cigs that contain nicotine. Yes, I guess I could have stated that my juice is nic free and gotten away with it, God knows they are not going to pay for nicotine tests on me or my ejuice. I decided to answer YES, I am a nicotine user. That gives me even more reason to complain about how our management steals money from it's employees (while ironicly making us all take yearly "ETHICS" training courses) and besides, you can't complain that I'm taking yet another "smoke" break, after all, I'm PAYING for those breaks now.

So true. The remedy was simple - "Look, I took care if that with a single email and mitigated any liability, and it only took 3 minutes. What's next on my list?"