[SheLion]

Before smoking was banned in private offices, there was no reason to take a smoke break.
Before smoking was banned in private offices, I'm sure Mr. Swinton would have been considered an excellent employee. Now he's a bad one.

The employees didn't create this problem. The rule-makers did. It's the same endless problem everywhere: create a rule/rule causes problems/create new rules to fix the problems/new rules cause problems/create even more rules/etc.

Nobody at the top ever stops to consider that it was the initial ban that was the bad idea in the first place.

[SheLion]

If that guy was an alcoholic and took long breaks to drink, would he have been fired on the spot or would he have gotten a free trip to rehab with the job waiting for him when he got back?

[advocate10]

http://www.yesmoke.com/index.php

Avoid tax.

[cinFLA]

Before smoking was banned in private offices, I'm sure Mr. Swinton would have been considered an excellent employee. Now he's a bad one.

Before smoking was banned in the office, non-smokers had to put up with the stench and irritation of the smoker's bad habit. It is amazing how one lambasts the typical "government" worker but if he is a smoker he is defended.

[FreedomPoster]

>>Nobody at the top ever stops to consider that it was the initial ban that was the bad idea in the first place.

I disagree. Educated people don't smoke, and don't enjoy smelling it on their clothes after leaving work, incurring higher cleaning bills, etc. Most companies like employing smart, educated people, so no smoking in the office isn't unreasonable.

Our private consulting engineering firm had a no-smoking policy 15+ years ago. And we weren't a bunch of carrot eating leftist tree-huggers; more like a bunch of Reaganite gun-owners in the South.

[swarthyguy]

There you go making sense again.

Like the stats on smokers falling sick. If you had to go out to smoke, chances are you'd fall sick too especially in cold area winters.

[ninenot]

That's known as the law of unintended consequences. Make a stupid rule, get unintended results--like people going outside to think and smoke.

I have to admit, though: it doesn't take me 15 minutes to get through ONE cigarette...