ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2006 > April > 30
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Could your career go up in smoke?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back in the 80’s when RJ Reynolds was opening up a new office in Atlanta, I went to Winston-Salem to their corporate headquarters to meet with the HR people to see if we could do business together.
The corporate campus was massively impressive, but what struck me as a dying practice at work even then, were people smoking everywhere inside the building.
I saw open packs of cigarettes, matches, and ashtrays throughout the main lobby for anyone to use.
When I was ushered into the VP of HR’s office, he lit up and offered me a cigarette. I had already been coached by someone who was doing business with RJR that it was a good idea to smoke along unless you were going to cough all over the place. So, I joined in. Today, that would be tantamount to shooting up drugs together.
Granted that was the HQ of a multi-billion dollar tobacco company, and just like a visit to The Coca-Cola Company where you are offered Cokes, Sprites, and Dasani, you were offered tobacco at RJR.
Today, not only has the smoking area (if there is one on a corporate property) been removed to Siberia, people are nervous of their compromised image if seen sneaking off for a smoke. To make it even worse for die-hard smokers, many companies are imposing policies…if you smoke at all, you’re out of a job.
So, what do you think of a policy that can tell you your job goes up in smoke if you continue to smoke? What are employers going to do?
Impose random nicotine tests? And what about pre-employment drug testing that might test for nicotine in your blood stream?
Is that really a fair test of how well you can do the job? Or, because of rising health care, do you think big brother is justified in dictating your habits, good or bad?
Before your career goes down in flames just because of ‘private’ smoking against company policy, are you willing to quit smoking or quit your job?
Note: Your comments may be printed in the Sunday Jobs section. Pick up a copy to check.
