As a current employer, I hire smokers, but vastly prefer non-smokers. The jobs I currently have are outdoor construction jobs, and in that environment, smokers perform about 80% as much work per hour as non-smokers, simply due to the time spent smoking. A non-smoker will always out-perform a smoker. In addition, smokers tire more easily and can not perform manual labor for nearly the length of time non-smokers can.
And, I have never had to tell a non-smoker to police his butts. Some smokers will willingly comply with this request, some will bad-mouth me behind my back, and some have actually physically confronted me on this issue. If I can avoid this in the hiring interview, it is best handled there--smokers can go work somewhere else.
I previous worked in management in an indoor office setting, similar to your IT position. In that environment, smokers only perform 60-70% of the work non-smokers can. In an indoor environment smokers walk to the nearest entrance, socializing with their peers all the way, smoke outdoors, socialize for a few more minutes, and then walk back to their work area. I have timed this for smokers and it takes approximately 20 minutes per hour.
The company recognized this time drag and instituted a policy of not hiring smokers. They did not fire existing employees, but are slowly eliminating smokers by attrition.
I know this is not going to be a popular set of facts with smokers, but they are the facts.
Another issue is that smokers literally stink to non-smokers. A fact that few smokers are willing to recognize. You don't have to be actively smoking to smell bad, the smoke permeates your clothes and hair so that any non-smoker can always identify a smoker from 5-10 feet away, just by smell. Why hire a newcomer who has the potential to create dissention among existing employees?
Health concerns are lower down my list, but are still a valid issue.
You need to get used to the fact that the days of "smokers' rights" are long gone, and you have a habit which puts you squarely in the lower class and makes many question your intellectual capabilities.
My advice is to quit. You will have much better employment possibilities, and will have higher advancement potential.
I will say that the cauldron of different perfumes and after shave that usually exists in an office environment is equally disgusting as those stinky smokers.
Saying that smokers are in a “low class” and intellectually deficient is certainly an overstatement.
Just have to ask, are you a feminist?
I worked at Best Buy when I was in college. We had a strict break policy of 15 minutes per four hours or a 30-minute break for an eight-hour shift. My dept. manager was a smoker and any other smokers were ducking out at least once an hour for 10 minutes to smoke (with his permission). To say it was unfair and annoying would be an understatement.