Workplace bans smoking and vaping on property

[EBates]

Yeah the company I worked for kept making noises about banning smoking/vaping on the property. But TMK they still haven't done anything. I guess I should be glad that I was forced into early retirement, the amount of BS you get to enjoy in order to make a living.

Where is that shop steward when you really need 'em?

 

[PapaSloth]

for whatever reason i think smokers' and vapers' constitutional right is being violated. what happened to our right in pursuit of happiness? while non-smker/non-vaper's rights are being upheld, we are being targetted and treated as second class citizen. i don't get it. this should be addressed.

Your right to pursue happiness doesn't take precedence over someone else's right to pursue happiness. In the absence of evidence that vaping is absolutely 100% safe (which will never happen, because we all know that NOTHING in life is 100% safe), the presumption is that your right to vape is secondary to everyone else's right to a clean, odor-free, safe workplace. As a vaper myself, I'd love nothing better than to vape at my desk (and just between us, I sometimes do when everyone else has left), but that doesn't mean I don't understand where the rule makers are coming from.

 

[JohnnyDill]

+1000 on stealth vaping, especially if you vape unflavored. Nobody will know. High PG percentage, too. I have had to do this in situations, and NOBODY knew.

 

[LMS62]

for whatever reason i think smokers' and vapers' constitutional right is being violated. what happened to our right in pursuit of happiness? while non-smker/non-vaper's rights are being upheld, we are being targetted and treated as second class citizen. i don't get it. this should be addressed.

I agree that many vapers are treated as 2nd class citizens, but if you seriously think our constitutional rights are being violated, you really need to brush up on the constitution and bill of rights.

 

[crxess]

* Bleep-a-d-Bleep Bleep*
Now I am wondering what has happened. Went to check my Direct Deposit pay and add to my check book.
Pay was over $60 to high.
Taxes were higher than normal.
After a minute looking at the Stub section. I noticed (xxxxx Insurance Deduction $0.00) and about flipped out.
No way to check on this until Monday and freaking out over a possible policy cancellation(group Policy through work)

Don't know if it is a Clerical Error, possibly something to due with my ongoing Workers Comp(I am on Modified duty working regular shifts) or if they are suspecting a discrepancy in the policy.
Yes, I checked Non Smoker (Ex - and I went through their wellness B.S. for 3 years before quitting in 2012)
No, I don't mention Vaping to anyone related to my insurance.
No, I have not seen anything related to Vaping in their policies.

And until the FDA makes a decision and the courts uphold it I do not see Vaping and smoking in ANY WAY related!!!!!
If/when that happens I will go Nic Free and again NOT Related!!!!

 

[ilmostro99]

I work in a school, and although there are no specific policies about vaping, it is pretty obvious that it isn't something I should be doing at work. Now, I'm not saying I do this, but during bathroom breaks, with 100% pg (no clouds) and no to light flavoring, who would ever know?

 

[mcclintock]

I would wonder about what this implies it's like to work for that company in other respects. I know I went one place for an interview (long time ago) and saw no one smoking anywhere and the employees seemed highly controlled. Of course, seeing it was a big building, could have been many in smoking lounges somewhere.

You might want to see if they actually own the property.

One place I worked, an entire section of the company appeared to go out for smoke breaks together -- even the non-smokers. It's an important social mechanism.

 

[PapaSloth]

I work in a school, and although there are no specific policies about vaping, it is pretty obvious that it isn't something I should be doing at work. Now, I'm not saying I do this, but during bathroom breaks, with 100% pg (no clouds) and no to light flavoring, who would ever know?

I work in a school too, and two terms ago, the Educational Advisory Council voted to lump vaping in with smoking and to restrict us to the designated smoking areas.

 

[stevegmu]

KGB7 hit the nail on the head: legally, the company can't say anything about what you do in your car, even in the parking lot, as your car is somewhat an extension of your home

I've argued about it at schools (had a teacher tell me I couldn't smoke in my car while waiting to pick up sis-in-law. Cop informed him otherwise). I've also had to argue about it at different jobs, both due to smoking and what was in my car (had stopped at the local gunshop on my way to work at a security gig)

Pretty much anywhere in the US, they can't tell you what you can do/have in your car (so long as it's legal)

If it is a company policy they can prohibit smoking on their property, whether one is in their vehicle, or not. They can also prohibit firearms on their property, even if the firearms are in one's own vehicle and one has the legal right to own one. While one can not be arrested for violating company policy, they can and will be fired- at least where I live in Ohio...

If someone feels vaping is more important than a job, they can join the 99ers...

 

[Rossum]

If someone feels vaping is more important than a job, they can join the 99ers...

The extent to which some people are willing to let others control them in order to have the illusion of "safety" never ceases to amaze me.

 

[beckdg]

The extent to which some people are willing to ASK others control them in order to have the illusion of "safety" never ceases to amaze me.

Befuddling to say the least.

Sent from my device.

 

[stevegmu]

The extent to which some people are willing to let others control them in order to have the illusion of "safety" never ceases to amaze me.

Lets see, great job, pay and benefits, or sitting at home vaping on the couch waiting for the welfare check to come in. Tough choice...

 

[Rossum]

Lets see, great job, pay and benefits, or sitting at home vaping on the couch waiting for the welfare check to come in. Tough choice...

You forgot to mention the blinders that impose artificial limits on the choices you presented.

 

[stevegmu]

You forgot to mention the blinders that impose artificial limits on the choices you presented.

While some of us earn a very good living, not many of us can afford to sue a company with earnings over $20 billion/year and their staff of attorneys, just for the right to vape at a tobacco free site. I leave on break and vape in a private restroom at work...

 

[Rossum]

Who said anything about trying to get them to change their policies? I agree that suing them is unlikely to succeed because you have no "right" to vape on someone else's private property. You do however have the right to look for an employer who respects you choices as an individual, or to become your own employer. I did the latter almost 20 years ago and I certainly haven't regretted it.

 

[built4feel]

Who said anything about trying to get them to change their policies? I agree that suing them is unlikely to succeed because you have no "right" to vape on someone else's private property. You do however have the right to look for an employer who respects you choices as an individual, or to become your own employer. I did the latter almost 20 years ago and I certainly haven't regretted it.

Exactly my thoughts.

BTW, I love your avi...

 

[stevegmu]

Who said anything about trying to get them to change their policies? I agree that suing them is unlikely to succeed because you have no "right" to vape on someone else's private property. You do however have the right to look for an employer who respects you choices as an individual, or to become your own employer. I did the latter almost 20 years ago and I certainly haven't regretted it.

I plan on opening a high end vape shop and satellite kiosks once I move, but until then, the smart choice is to keep my current job... The days of smoking and even vaping at work are numbered for most professions the way the nanny state is rolling along...

 

[Scottitude]

My workplace implemented a smoking ban - which includes vapor because if it looks like smoke, it must be smoke - a couple of years ago. Smokers are allowed to stand on the public easement in front of the building and there are literally hundreds of cigarette butts on the lawn. Makes the place look real classy.

Many employers (mine included) are doing cotinine screens (a nicotine alkaloid) and assessing a "tobacco surcharge" on top of the standard insurance premiums for anyone that tests positive for even trace amounts. The nicotine penalty is an additional $150 per month.

The HR honchos and the "medical team" administering the tests were flummoxed when I showed them legitimate, published documentation substantiating that nicotine is found in numerous plants, vegetables, and fruits, not just tobacco. The scientific/organic reality meant nothing to these bleating sheep and their eyes glazed over in confusion.

The real idiocy was that several people who everyone knew were non-smokers tested positive, some more than once. Fortunately, they were allowed to be re-screened (the same day) as many time as it took to get a negative result.The tests were total BS.

My employer's insurance plan changes January 1st and those that test positive will have an additional $150 a month deducted from their paychecks.

They can do whatever they want, it's their business but the frustrating thing is that anyone testing positive for cotinine is classified as a smoker or tobacco-user and a smoker.

To me, that's like saying that if I use cough syrup that has alcohol in it when medically appropriate, I am a whiskey drinker.

The world, and especially America, is filled with idiots and wealthy special interest groups that uses government sanctioned discrimination "for the good of the people."

If one's only problem with a job is that they can't vape on their employer's property, they're very fortunate in today's business climate.

 

[George Ogilvie]

Solution; Walk across the street during lunch, take 5 big lung hits and walk back to walk work with a big smile.

Or, vape inside your car, as it is your personal property.

Where I work I got caught by security smoking once and only got a warning. When I started vaping the same guard stopped me. When I explained what it was he said, "Have a nice day." Unfortunately my boss says not in the office..

 

[George Ogilvie]

I was recently told I couldn't vape in the shop at work. No one that actually works back there has a problem with it, but one of the girls in the front office complained that the vapor gave her a sore throat, even though she only goes back their a couple times a day for about 10-15 seconds at a time. Ironically enough, she's a pack a day smoker..... lol

I call BS on that one.