Many of us spent most of our professional work life in workplaces where smoking was not permitted. I certainly would not have considered giving up a good salary in a fulfilling career....... for a cigarette. Seems like that would be sorta a dumb decision.
Are you over 25?
I imagine I'm younger than most on this forum, but old enough to have worked in major company in a downtown city that allowed smoking indoors when I was there. Not right at your desk, but was told by many others that this used to be allowed and not too long ago (then). I can still recall being a smoker and smoking indoors in a hospital when that was permitted. Now, I know of no such hospital where that is allowed.
There are various reasons why smoking is not allowed indoors, in work places. Near the top is that there is this belief that passive smoking will harm bystanders irreparably and thus no counter point, once this is accepted as fact, is plausible. Yet, any vaper paying attention to politics and deception knows that the passive smoking 'facts' are closer to junk science than hard core science. Thus, it is not fact that perceived harm from passive smoking is irreparable. So, the far more likely scenario that we are actually dealing with is that most people have been brainwashed to consider the perceived harm as irreparable and have that position entirely covered, they feel, by fact that they do consider it annoying/disturbing.
Yet, if the annoying factor was applied to other activities that occur in public where humans are gathered, then I honestly can't think of anything that would be allowed in a workplace other than your job. So, items like "how was your Christmas?" would be gone because this is not 'your' time and you are not getting paid to ask or answer that question. Annoying that you might think otherwise.
I guess it's okay if you have a job you don't care a lot about and can change jobs whenever something displeases you. Most people aren't in that position though.....and certainly aren't if they want to build any kind of real career where a solid work history is important or have to support themselves and their families.
IMO, the age of building a solid career at one company is gone. Might happen for a select few but of all people I know around my age, I currently know zero that have stuck with same company since they were in their early 20's. With my parents' generation, that seemed commonplace. Plus, this clearly goes two ways. Companies are very aware of job hopping. Obviously they'd love for people to stay with them, but they know reality is otherwise, and so at least 2 things occur because of what is rather common knowledge. 1 - They rely on what is a fine line but amounts to some workers are too lazy, stupid or otherwise unmotivated to job hunt while they have a job, regardless of how much that person actually loathes the job and may complain about it daily. And 2 - companies know they can pass policies much easier than in olden days where unions and general brotherhood with employees was more common. I reckon 40 years ago a policy in any company (includes hospitals) that said even if you are a smoker in your free time, we will not hire you, would've led to that company being out of business very soon. Today, as many think companies hold all the cards, that not only is considered, but it occurs. That would be one of the most extreme policies that currently exists that I can think of. Only other things I can think of that would be worse are unwritten rule of we won't hire some people because of their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc. But all that has to be unwritten rule, so the 'must be a non-smoker' one is such that it blatantly crosses line of discrimination and in world we live in that doesn't get all that challenged. Suck it up buttercup. Stop smoking if you want this job. You're just lucky to have a job (where we get to treat you however the heck we want and too bad if you don't like that.)
Not vaping at work is really no different to me than not knitting, or practicing my guitar or taking a coffee break whenever you feel like a cup of coffee or a snack. That's why they call it work and you get paid to be there.
Also no different than you chit chatting at work. Really anything you do outside of what a drone would do if performing your same job is no different, so that's what we need in our work is more drones. Now only if we could cut their pay or freeze their wages, we'd be onto something. Man, what a great world we have.
Staying home doesn't pay well but it bestows a lot of personal freedom.
Not so sure. Kinda depends on which party is currently holding power and how callous are the working class about those who currently don't have employment for whatever reason.
Oh, and working from home is becoming more commonplace. I know of at least 2 people that work from home, with legit companies, and are earning enough to have nice residence in suburbs, with ability to pay for all needs (and many luxuries) of a family of 4. Easily earning more than either of my parents made annually. Getting to a point, rather quickly, that it is challenging to think of jobs where one absolutely needs to be at a company's place of business to do their job. 3D printing advances to 3rd or 4th generation capabilities and healthcare stuff gets revamped to work for everyone, and well, need for companies to have people on their premises to perform the job that a robot couldn't do just as well is about done. I can walk into a grocery store today, have 10 questions about products I'm interested in buying, and walk out of that store with 5 bags full of groceries, without once interacting with someone that worked at that store. Though, I'm the type that does prefer human contact, unless it is with worker that is visibly loathing the fact that they have to be there.
