Employees Must Decide on their Own to Quit Smoking, Not under Force

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH, 2007; Richardson (2001) argued that manual groups are likely to smoke heavier than the managerial groups and stated likely reason for this such as food insecurity, substitute for food, social environment, segregation and pressure, lack of good health and lack of confidence. In addition to this, epidemiology statistics reported by Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC, 2013 and Wanless, 2004) stated that smoking is more prevalent among the lower socio-economic groups and known to be key part of the disparities in life expectation between manual and non-manual groups. Therefore it is important something is done to eradicate inequality in the health of the general population.

Though previously smoking was conventional in workplaces, times has revolutionized; people became progressively conscious of the negative influence of smoking on health. The employees who had never smoked became outspoken regarding the stench of smoke and the prospective negative effects of second-hand smoke on their well-being. (Heathfield, S., 2016)

Smokers face many challenges in the modern world, and one of the biggest happens in the workplace. Many large – and small – employers have taken a strict zero-tolerance approach to smoking in the workplace, and that can literally leave smokers with no place to

The 2017-2018 Ethics case of Smokers Need Not Apply presented the issue of tobacco use amongst hospital employees. The hospital job posting had stated that smokers need not apply, as concerns regarding, “the interests of employee productivity, as well as saving on the cost of employees’ health insurance” have become major hiring considerations (NHSEB, 2017, p. 7). This job application caused much controversy amongst smoke-free advocates and the pro-smoking community. After deep analyzation of this case, I would like to answer the question presented: “when, if ever, is it morally permissible for employers to discriminate on the basis of tobacco use?” (NHSEB, 2017, p. 7). In addition to clarifying my final answer, I would like to use the theory

During this clip of “Young Frankenstein” there were a few HR issues that I observed. The first issue I observed was smoking in the workplace. The issue of smoking in the workplace is the impact of second-hand smoke, which could affect the health of other employees and the comfort of non-smokers. People who are non-smokers usually don’t like the smell of cigarette smoke and this could make them unconfutable, which could lead to irritation or even a violent dispute as shown in the clip.

Jay Whitehead, publisher of a magazine for human resources managers, says, “There is discrimination at many companies—and maybe even most companies—against people who smoke.” Even if applicants aren’t asked whether they smoke, it “doesn't mean that hiring managers turn off their sense of smell.” Paul Sherer, a smoker who was fired less than a week after taking a new job, says, “Not hiring smokers affects millions of people and puts them in the same category as women able to bear children, that is, people who contribute to higher health-care costs. It's unfair.” Law professor Don Garner believes that not hiring smokers is “an overreaction on the part of employers whose interest is cutting costs. If someone has the ability to do the job, he should get it. What you do in your home is your own business. … Not hiring smokers is ‘respiratory apartheid.’”

Breaks offer employees a chance to rest, get some fresh air, eat lunch, or whatever they may please. Breaks are usually issued to those who work five or more hours, and vary in time from workplace to workplace. Employers have the power to choose whether or not to pay their employees for their breaks. Employees smoking on their free time, or while off the clock, is their personal decision and should not concern or damage their place of employment, but when taking unverified breaks from work to smoke a cigarette becomes hazardous and destructive to the business, then smoke breaks should no longer be allowed. Many may ask “why?” The following facts prove why smoke breaks should no longer be allowed.

2. The CEOs took action by implementing the health and smoking programs. Although there we many alternatives, their action was focused on the individual’s choice: to participate or not. The decision then became that of the employee and not the “for the group.”

With the rise of smoking related sickness in Australia, smoking in and around the workplace should be banned. There are many known health risk associate with smoking and passive smoking. So much so that local governments in Western Australia have banned smoking in certain public areas. Why should work places be any different?

One of the first reasons why I believe that they should make smoking cigarettes illegal in the United States is because you are not only doing damage to your body by smoking, buy you are also damaging the bodies of people around you. This is called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), or more commonly known as secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as if you were smoking the cigarette and you still get all of the negative health effects associated with them. Many people are not able to avoid the secondhand smoke and risk getting many terrible diseases and illnesses. Some people have to go to their workplace and risk getting affected from the secondhand smoke that is around them. Many companies recognize how bad cigarettes are and

As the cultural climate toward smoking changes, restrictive workplace smoking policies are becoming widely accepted by both employers and employees. There is, however, a crucial difference between those policies which accommodate reserved areas for smoking and those which do not. Smokers at work tend to prefer the former especially when the alternative is a total ban. An evaluation of a smoking ban implemented at a Scottish University in October 1997 suggests that the total ban is not only unpopular with smokers but also among non-smokers who experience unintended consequences of the new policy. The greatest complaint from non-smokers stems from the relocation of smoking to outside and particularly around the entrances to University buildings.

Studies, such as “Chronic Smoking, Trait Anxiety, and the Physiological Response to Stress,” and “Work stress, smoking status, and smoking intensity: an observational study of 46 190 employees,” have shown that stress can lead to habit forming usage of unhealthy substances. For example, chain smoking has been connected as a response to stress. Typically, people with a higher stress level have a higher desire to smoke cigarettes (Wiggert, Wilhelm, Nakajima, al’Absi, 2016, p. 1619). For most people the nicotine in cigarettes helps regulate negative thoughts and emotions about work stress. It has also been supported that people are two times as likely to begin smoking regularly if they have a diagnosed anxiety disorder (Wiggert, Wilhelm, Nakajima,

I must agree, smoking sets out a bad image for the company or buisness, Smoking causes bad breath witch is a really bad thing if you are dealing with customers, Takes up valiable time during work hours, Creates a problem if co-workers or customers have asthma, Creates a problem if the employee is "itching" for a ciggarette.

Nicotine is highly addictive, which is one of the reasons why it is so dangerous. The nicotine withdrawals a person might go through can be one of the biggest reasons they cannot/will not quit. Smokers may know the dangers it causes, but have too much difficulty quitting and it is no longer an option for them. They may decide to continue smoking, accepting the risks simply because of the psychological and physical traumas quitting takes them through. One of the employees fired by Weyco in Michigan due to its ban on smoking, Cara Stiffler, spoke out about the policy. She strongly disagrees with the ban and she believes that quitting smoking is a fight about personal liberty. She says “I want to quit, but I want it to be on my terms, not someone forcing me to make that

Smoking is a dangerous and addictive habit; each year about 440,000 people perish in the United States due to tobacco smoking (Maugh). From those