Posted on 04/20/2005 7:49:38 AM PDT by VRWCmember
I would say he was within his right to insist that any new employees didn't smoke, and to continue to offer incentives for those who manage to quit, but I find it a little screwy to arbitrarily decide that those hired as smokers need to quit or leave.
I understand the plight of the employees. But the employees should have negotiated as a condition of employment termination only for cause. If an employee accepted at will employment, the employer does not need any reason to fire him. So he certainly can fire him for a reason not contemplated when the employee began his employment.
I didn't say it was fair. But it is within the law in his state. Personally I think he is a jerk. If fired for this I would roll my pension into a private account and screw this guy every way I could think of.
The law in his state permits it, so he is within his rights. A jerk yes but within his rights.
BTW. I once interviewed for a job that I thought I really wanted. The employer made the offer and I told him I could start in two weeks. At that point this heavy breathing grossly obese man said by "the way we do not allow our employees to smoke during the day because we don't want them smelling like smoke so you can't even smoke in your personal car or at lunch off site and nowhere on the grounds."
I looked at him and asked, "Are you an ex-smoker?" He said no. I said, "Well you need to skip a few meals before you have a heart attack, Keep the job". I would have done the same thing had I been working there and he decided on this policy.
This will be self-correcting. If no one agrees with his policies, no one will work for him. If enough people agree to work there, then his policy seems justified. No worker is being forced to maintain employment with him, however. Time will tell how this one turns out.
I would. You have every right to make dumb business decisions.
Agreed.
"Our Government is teaching and advocating intolerance of legal activities and the intolerance and demonetization of those who indulge in them."
You mean the intolerance for people smoking?
Or do you mean the intolerance for employers making rules their employees must follow to retain their jobs.
Both are legal activities.
Company closed versus termination = two different issue in most states. In Alabama a vested employee who is terminated (theft would probably be an issue) from a business that stays in business, gets to take over their pension account.
He was still changing the implied contract. If they did not wish to quit smoking, he could have used the money he would have spent on stop smoking assistance for job hunting assistance.
I must be one of the weirdo ex-smokers - I don't like being around too much smoking, but I am willing to move instead of asking everyone else to stop.
Our company used to have a similar policy. Our company was recently purchased, so I don't know if the policy is still in effect or not.
Our company a number of years ago started a no-smoking policy.
You haddn't been alowed to smoke indoors for quite a while, but they made additional restrictions on where you were allowed to smoke outside.
They also started a policy of no new hires of people who smoked. They did not require current employees that smoked to stop.
About a year ago we were hiring a new receptionist. The candidate wanted to accept the position, but they smoked. They were told that they would have to quit smoking as a condition of employment.
The accepted the job, but only lasted a couple weeks. They said they were unable to quit smoking and resigned.
I never smoke inside, even at home. I do smoke in bars, but that is not too often. I don't smoke in restaurants, but I will not patronize a restaurant that is smoke free. I don't spend money in cities that have extensive bans on smoking.
That is true - but he didn't do that. Lousy thing to do, but it was his perogative.
I don't like what he did, nor advocate others doing it - however what he did was within the law, thus really a moot point.
My biggest problem is that now people are now advocating for more government regulation on businesses to prevent this from happening in the future - and people wonder why so many businesses are closing, outsourcing or just plain moving out of the country?
Contrary to what it sometimes appears to be, you are actually with the majority of ex-smokers. There are really few in comparison that are whiney crybabies about it. You are also the type that smokers will respect and not try to bother you with it.
Company policy - told up front...no problem with that at all. She was correct in resigning as she knew the policy ahead of time.
Probably the same thing that happens to people who like poppyseed bagels, poppyseed buns, etc.
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