Children's Hospital saying no to new hires who smoke

[Jennasis]

I don't smoke. I think it's a nasty, disgusting habit. But this is slippery slope policy making. I'm all for going tobacco free on campus all together, or even sending folks home without pay if they show up smelling of smoke...but if this is in the name of health, what of all the other unhealthy habits? Drinking alcohol? Eating Mickey D's? Being fat?

 

[BlovesC]

I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that smokers tend to take more breaks, which amounts to diminished productivity for the same pay as others in the position.

I'm not particularly bothered by this. I work in healthcare, but I don't smoke, and none of my friends or immediate colleagues smoke. It's kind of ironic though...often our only patients who still smoke are those who are older, of lower socioeconomic status, and living in rural areas. Smoking is often one of the few pleasures they have, so even our physicians are lax about pushing smoking cessation onto them. But at the same time they'd be outraged if they found any of their staff lighting up!

 

[okeydokey]

People who only smoke while away from work still bring the residue of tobacco into the workplace on their clothes, skin, hair and the the things from home they carry into the work place. There have been studies on third hand smoke and what the residue does to you.

 

[bittybabygrower]

It comes down to health insurance. Where I work, we have to be enrolled in employee health programs for existing health problems such as weight, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, etc. You are given goals to meet and if you don't meet them, your premiums go up.

Almost all the hospitals in my area only hire non-smoking employees.

 

[aprilgail]

I hope more companies follow suit.

I agree!
I worked at a place that wouldn't hire you if you were a smoker- they wouldn't tell you that was the reason but its pretty obvious that they are a smoker when you come in for an interview, they stink! Smokers take more/longer breaks thank non smokers and the have to work around the smell of them is not fair to other workers.
I went in for a facial and the lady that came in to do it was a smoker, she must have just went outside to have a cigarette because as soon as she came near me and put her stinky hands in my face I was over powered by the smell- I had to stop her right there and ask for a different person!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Holland added that smoking "is not something we want to expose our patients to."

The new policy prohibits all nicotine use: cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine patches and gum.

"Cigarette smoking and tobacco use is considered very unhealthy," he said, adding that employees who work at health-care facilities are supposed "to be healthy people, so it just makes sense that it would happen in the health-care industry."

They're talking out of both sides of their mouths. Are they banning smokers, or smoking, or tobacco, or nicotine? Because tge article describes different things in different places - and the stress on banning smoking/tobacco is,at odds with banning nicotine gum/patches.

Just because you're big boned doesn't mean you aren't healthy. Genetics and habits are 2 completely different things.

No, BMI takes bone size into account. Fat is fat, obese is obese. High cholesterol is high cholesterol, BMI doesn't even play a part in that. If you're going to claim health concerns, don't discriminate.

 

[mousehockey37]

No, BMI takes bone size into account. Fat is fat, obese is obese. High cholesterol is high cholesterol, BMI doesn't even play a part in that. If you're going to claim health concerns, don't discriminate.

Smoking is a learned habit. A habit that medical institutions use a "do as I say, not as I do" approach with. Again, BMI aside, there are people with medical/genetic issues that cannot help their size, no matter what/how they eat and exercise.

Smoking is something that people CAN control. It is NOT professional to smell like an ash tray when dealing with clientele. Where I work, the host company (I work in a vendor flex operation) has outlawed smoking on all its properties (they are a huge 3rd party logistics firm with 100's of warehouses).

I personally felt cheated years ago as a non-smoker when smokers got an extra "smoke" break. Well, times are changing, the anti-smoking campaign is turning it up a notch and Corporate America is following along.

More and more places across the country are pushing to outlaw smoking. I'm not just talking about in restaurants, bars, on break at work... Look at some of the beaches on the East Coast... Rehoboth and Bethany Beaches in Delaware are smoke free and I think Ocean City, Maryland is pushing for it if they haven't achieved it yet.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Most of us fat people don't have medical/genetic issues. But, again, if the ban is related to smoking/tobacco, how is planning nicotine patches and gum effective, pertinent, or beneficial to anyone?

 

[Happy Snowman]

My company has had this policy for 2 years now. It only applies to new hires but current workers that smoke are being strongly encouraged to quit. There are about 20 states that allow this so it's not legal everywhere. Smokers drive about 70% of the health insurance costs for most companies, way more than overweight people even. Not to mention, it's grossly unhealthy and a bad example, especially for a hospital. Most companies also have some programs in place for those that are overweight or have other health issues as well.

 

[SirDuff]

No, BMI takes bone size into account. Fat is fat, obese is obese. High cholesterol is high cholesterol, BMI doesn't even play a part in that. If you're going to claim health concerns, don't discriminate.

No it does not. It takes height and weight into account. Not bone size/density. Not muscle mass. Just height and weight.

 

[kellyg403]

I could see where this could be a great thing, but also feel like it is a slippery slope. Where do we go next? Oh I know, perfume on caregivers and people in general. I am highly allergic and I swear that every nurse, dr I saw at my last doctor's appt had some fragrance on.

Regardless, for years at my work's healthplan, if you were a smoker you had to buy the most expensive insurance and it was defiitely not the best they had to offer.

 

[NewRVLady]

Our local University is now smoke free campus- and its a large campus
I can't imagine where smokers will go to smoke

 

[nugov2]

People who only smoke while away from work still bring the residue of tobacco into the workplace on their clothes, skin, hair and the the things from home they carry into the work place. There have been studies on third hand smoke and what the residue does to you.

True, but a patch or a gum would not do that. I think that is wrong IMO. Like a pp stated I don't think an employer should control what you do on your time if it is legal(I'm not a smoker and hate the smell). There is no health reason that a person cannot use a patch or gum. I think this will not go over well for them.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Just because you're big boned doesn't mean you aren't healthy. Genetics and habits are 2 completely different things.

Well there is "big boned" and then there is overweight and obese. Let's not pretend that obesity is not caused by overeating in 99.9 % of cases. So much easier to pick on smokers though. I don't smoke, nor do any of my friends but it's ridiculous to target just the smokers in the name of health.

 

[lsyorke]

Wow..it's been a few weeks since we had a "smokers are the devil" thread!

 

[ronandannette]

Wow..it's been a few weeks since we had a "smokers are the devil" thread!

Speaking as a smoker here, we are mostly pretty resigned to our status as persona non grata now. We all also know smoking is bad; there's no way to defend it - it's not worthy of debate.

I follow all rules restricting smoking wherever I am regardless of how unreasonable they may be. No smokers hired there? I guess I'll have to work somewhere else. For the record, as a hiring manager I support the right of employers to include or exclude candidates based on any (non-protected) criteria they want. For example, my company does NOT employ people with visible tatoos or unusual facial piercings - period.

 

[lsyorke]

Speaking as a smoker here, we are mostly pretty resigned to our status as persona non grata now. We all also know smoking is bad; there's no way to defend it - it's not worthy of debate.

As a former smoker and I'm with ya. It makes me nuts that these threads pop up like the responses are going to be any different.
Employers are going to set rules as they see fit and people will be fine with it until that rule affects something that they participate in and then they will cry foul. It is what it is.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

As a former smoker and I'm with ya. It makes me nuts that these threads pop up like the responses are going to be any different.
Employers are going to set rules as they see fit and people will be fine with it until that rule affects something that they participate in and then they will cry foul. It is what it is.

Which is why even as a non-smoker, I don't like this.

To me, the real kicker here is that it's not just a Tabasco free campus. They're all banning smoking cessation/nicotine which is odorless, doesn't require breaks to use and nobody would know. I guess that's why the nicotine tests. That's not for health-nicotine isn't a huge health concern.

 

[mousehockey37]

Employers are going to set rules as they see fit and people will be fine with it until that rule affects something that they participate in and then they will cry foul. It is what it is.

Bingo.

It's interesting though to see those who take offense to this and then try and throw something else under the bus. In Education (K-12) you can't smoke on school grounds, why should a children's hospital be any different?

 

[SandiR]

Bingo.

It's interesting though to see those who take offense to this and then try and throw something else under the bus. In Education (K-12) you can't smoke on school grounds, why should a children's hospital be any different?

I'm not sure if you understand the article. It's not about smoking at the hospital. The hospital wants to control what people do on their own time.

I hope the ACLU steps in. I've never smoked a day in my life and something like this sounds terrible to me. As long as smoking is legal, how dare any company decide that they may factor it into hiring decisions? What's next? You don't want to hire me because I'm over 40? How about the fact that I eat junk food or barely ever work out? All of these things have the potential for me incurring higher health care costs.