Should large companies be allowed to ban nicotine users from hire?

Ahhh....U-haul sells franchises, they cannot tell the owner of a franchise his employees cannot smoke. This seems to be all smoke and no fire, I doubt if the company actually has that many direct employees that this applies to. Most of the businesses who rent U-hauls are franchises and U-haul does not pay their employees. I know two people who own U-haul franchises, they both smoke....like chimneys.

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks

I like the warning put on smokes in Mexico. "Use of this product will kill you"
It kind of hits right where it needs to without all the feelz.

What's another death threat in Mexico, more or less? They could put that warning message on their back roads.

No.

In my experience, smokers take more breaks than non smokers. It isn't about what you do on "your time", it's all the extra breaks on company time that non-smokers do not seem to enjoy.

a reply to: shooterbrody

I hear you and while I cannot stand smoking, its a dangerous precedent IMHO and should be banned at the federal level

Now they are going to point to the global cost per person to provide healthcare benefits collectively to their employees (or at least that is the real reason) When a healthcare insurer looks at say a company with 5000 employees they are going to look at the profession, the demographics, the age etc and set a cost for that employee group. This "group" rate represents their educated guess on what the costs will be over the expected length fo that particular contract.

U Hual no doubt sees savings in the cost of their healthcare plan if the exclude smokers.

But: Whats next? we are not going to hire people that consume alcohol? Or worse yet, we will not insure people with certain genetic markers? Or say you have a history of breast cancer in your family???? It will be endless

a reply to: FredT

I think that we don't realize how much of our freedoms we have given away for the sake of comfort, convenience, and a false sense of security.

Even with the problems that many have exposed with Ring like products and Alexa like products, we still very willingly and a great cost, literally and figuratively, inviting constant monitoring into our lives.

We are willingly going into those gilded cages they are setting up for us, and we are even paying our hard earned money for the privilege of being controlled.

originally posted by: AutomateThis1
Got hired years ago by a company that wanted me to install an app on my phone for shift schedules. I looked into and saw what the app really did. It was a tracking app. I told them I'm not installing the app.

They insisted that I had to install the app.

I told them to give me a business phone with the app on it. They said it had to be my personal phone.

I told them if it was really just for scheduling they can just put my name in the slots I work, and I'll print the sheet off of the work computer.

Again they said no, it had to be installed on my personal phone.

I quit.

I had a job for a short time in '18 that wanted to take over my phone contract so I would use it for work. I said no, I don't mix business and personal time. They bought me a new phone for work. Apparently I was a not a good fit for their culture, I was let go after six weeks. It turned out to be a toxic environment so it was ok with me.

originally posted by: hombero
Somebody that doesn't smoke and wants a job, doesn't want to smell the smoke on coworkers, doesn't want to wonder why they have to work while their coworkers go for free breaks.

a reply to: shooterbrody

Start smoking then, duh

a reply to: Middleoftheroad

Pre-employment testing. Happens everyday at Universities, factories, brake places, food handling, medical, office, childcare etc. Walmart, Costco etc...

It's becoming the rule. Drugs, alcohol and nicotine. Auto factories and dozens of other industries who just don't need the hassle.

I am nobody's property, and nobody can tell me what to do with my own life. Me smoking is not a favor someone is doing to me, is my choice about my life. Any company or coworkers having problems with that can shove it. I am paid a certain amount of money for a certain amount of work and that's the end of it. Anything else about my life is nobody's business.

Reading this thread I realize how few people remember that we are in fact free people, and that we work to live not live to work. Insurance companies, banks, employers, government, they all have the means and the reasons to convince us otherwise, to claim more and more control over us. And most people just believe them and surrender freely, because they don't know better. Because they believe their lives is someone' else responsibility, and that someone else has the right to control how they live.

It doesn't matter if is ok or not, they will do it because this is what they do, and people will accept it because this is what people do. And even more they will always look sideways at those "rogues" like me who do not conform.

originally posted by: AutomateThis1
Got hired years ago by a company that wanted me to install an app on my phone for shift schedules. I looked into and saw what the app really did. It was a tracking app. I told them I'm not installing the app.

They insisted that I had to install the app.

I told them to give me a business phone with the app on it. They said it had to be my personal phone.

I told them if it was really just for scheduling they can just put my name in the slots I work, and I'll print the sheet off of the work computer.

Again they said no, it had to be installed on my personal phone.

I quit.

Folks, if & when this ever occurs in the future, repeat after me:

"I don't have a cell phone, I have a landline, how do I install that on a landline?"

Report back any hilarity, please

I worked for a large logistics company that had a smoking areas outside in the employee car-parks of their many buildings, many work places have them here in UK. They're like a bus-stop type of shelters. It wasn't a good place to work for and crap pay/conditions but a job's a job and I was out of options.

The smoking shelters always had some glass panes missing, the company had purposely left some panels unglazed, no doubt for maximum discomfort. Smoking was only allowed in these areas and nowhere else on company premises.

I was working late shifts in the middle of winter and would pop out for a smoke on my lunch break. It was bitter cold and windy/sleet so I would often go sit in my car and have my lunch and a ciggy with the engine running and heater blasting.

One night there was a tap on my car window, it was security. I opened the window an inch and he asked me if I'm smoking. It was obvious I was, I said yes. He said I have to put it out or he has to report me for smoking on company premises and I could be dismissed.
I told him my smoke is contained inside my car and not infecting anyone or anything, and I pointed over to the 'shelter' with no glass in and no doors on and smoke floating all over.
He said 'but you cant smoke on company premises'. I replied 'I'm on my own premises, my car is my premises and smoking isn't banned in here'.
Him - ''but your car is on company premises though''.
Me: ''my car isn't smoking''.

He just looked blank for few seconds and walked away lol.

He didn't report me either.

And I continued to spend all my lunch breaks in my car.

In UK, companies can't use the excuse of higher costs of employee medical provision and so need to control what we do in our own time, we have NHS. And smokers contribute more to the NHS via sky-high taxes on tobacco products. These tax revenues alone are more than sufficient to fund the NHS.

Nothing stopping govt banning smoking completely if it's causing problems in society. But it won't because it will lose billions in tax revenues.

Ban employees from eating garlic. Pheweee man, that stuff gives people a 4-foot 'garlic-aura' that lingers for days.

Sounds like uhaul is having financial troubles. Let’s see how many people like working minimum wage jobs for them and not being allowed to have a smoke on their time. Or how many people start lying to their doctors about smoking...

I’d rather have what I do at home not be my employers business.

a reply to: JAGStorm

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
a reply to: shooterbrody

I used to think that, but found out I was wrong. They can even use what you do on your free time in a court of law to discredit you or smear your reputation.

Think what you post here or anywhere else on the internet is just your business? People have lost their jobs based on something that they posted online. Because you think it is smart, cute, or funny, doesnt mean everyone will.

Some people are quick to go to your employer's website to disrupt the site and lose you your job.

as I posted previously , why would anyone want to work for such a company?

a reply to: FredT
I simply would not work for such a company.
Just my opinion.
There is a country full of opportunity available right now, why anyone would subject themselves to that kind of crap I do not understand.

originally posted by: Edumakated


Smokers take smoke breaks. They cost the company money in time and higher health insurance costs. These are legitimate concerns that need to be addressed.

Do they though? In my experience, most smokers go for a cig on their actual breaks, not a special smoke break. People should be able to choose what they use their break for....

a reply to: Flavian
In my experience they do take extra smoke breaks. I've seen it for many years.

They should opt to not hire the drinkers also then.. most of my moms friends weren't done in by the cigs. It was the alchohol killing off their livers.
This is what happens when you allow the cost of healthcare to get to the point where no one can afford if. Everyone starts griping about everyone's habits thinking they are so much worse than their own.. if you dont want the govt, employers, or insurance companies sticking their noses into your life, then get them to control the actual costs instead of just shuffling money around, throwing it into huge pots while most of us never actually pay much attention to just how much the crap is actually costing, because well, most of the money is coming from one or more of those big pots.. pay attention to how much the upper management of the healthcare and insurance conglomerates are being paid, compared to those doctors and nurses that are the ones actually giving the care. Most of the money is not going for the actual care, it's going for all those intermediaries that have managed to position themselves between you and that care.

I vape at my desk every day. And I enjoy it.

People were so much more fun as a civilization when everyone smoked.

Look at the old photos of the guys who put men in space...those nasa guys smoked like crazy....guess due to stress.