Originally Posted by
Widsith
I don't have a problem with them as guidelines, published or not. However, I would object to the use of the "please read and comply" statement as "comply" implies that these are rules that must be obeyed, rather than suggestions to be considered.
I raised the same objection about 15 years ago when the company where I worked instituted a "no-smoking" policy. I am a non-smoker with asthma who is very uncomfortable in the presence of smoke and personally benefited from the new rule. (My desk was right next to the desk of a pipe smoker.) However, I went to the office of the company vice president in charge of that facility and objected to the new rule. I said that employees should have the right to smoke or not smoke at their own desks, and if I or anyone else were bothered by the smoke, it should be our responsibility to talk to that person ourselves and ask them not to smoke, rather than anyone telling them what to do. My protest had no effect, but I'm still glad I made it.
There is/was one small "flaw" in your "argument," and that is that said desk isn't the employee's "own desk" rather it is company property. And the company has the right to pass whatever rules it deems necessary to protect it's property as well as the health of all of it's employees.
As sadly there are a
LOT of careless smokers out there who lay their butts anywhere that they please and good/expensive furniture ends up getting burn marks on them. Also there are plenty of people out there who seem to think that it is their inalienable right to smoke whenever and wherever they want and to hell with what anyone else thinks. Or whatever health problems that they may have.
Now then the company's that are starting to tell their employees that they can't smoke at home when they are off the clock that is wrong. No company/employer should be able to tell an employee what s/he can do on their own time. I know that some companies are putting the "blame" as it were on smoker's health insurance costing more. If that is truly the case then make the individual smoker pay more for his/her insurance. If health insurance is a benefit given to all employees with no paycheck deduction. Then make the smoker's pay the difference.