Originally Posted by jy22077 (Post 1003641)

I couldn't agree more. That's the choice smoker's make for themselves. But, they have that right. That is their own choosing. Remember, smoking is neither an illegal act or an unethical act. If someone wants to smoke, they certainly have that choice. With regards to the hospital, telling new employees that they can't smoke (In Privacy of their own homes and lives) is a highly intrusive invasion to the Right of Privacy. Whether, an employee chooses to smoke in the Privacy of their own home and lives is absolutely none of the hospital's business. Therefore, current employees who are allowed to continue to smoke do not have suffer a HIGHLY INTRUSIVE invasion of privacy. That being so, the privilege to being able to continue smoke is a privilege that is worth $10,000,000.00. In fact it is a privilege that is virtually priceless (The Privilege of the hospital no invading on the privacy rights of an individual.)

Originally Posted by Allegiance (Post 1003460)

Its sometimes repulsive just to be near a smoker in an elevator, maybe smokers should not be near sick people?

Originally Posted by manaboutown (Post 1003658)

What I have noticed over the years is that employers get far less work from smokers who need to go outside on frequent breaks to smoke. (That is the nature of the addiction. Priority one is to smoke when the urge presents itself or suffer withdrawal. Nicotine is a drug.) Meanwhile the nonsmokers inside keep working away. The nonsmokers end up carrying part of the smokers' loads as a consequence to the smoke breaks.

In a healthcare environment the other workers and patients in particular should not have to suffer the stench from the reeking clothes and bodies of smokers in close quarters to themselves.

Cheers employers who are taking this step!

Originally Posted by sunnyatlast (Post 1003572)

In the overall sense, yes. But in this particular case, employers have the freedom, thank God, to hire whom they see fit to hire and pay insurance premiums on which are skyrocketing because of riskier people (who generate more medical bills to pay) being added into the insurance pool.
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Originally Posted by jy22077 (Post 1003424)

I don't Smoke!

These policies are a SCAM. Smokers are being played the fool and they are the suckers. It has nothing to do with promoting a healthy lifestyle. All it is is just discrimination to make the company easier to hire people so Human Resources doesn't have to work. I can PROVE why there policies are a SCAM. It's very easy. The reason is - That CURRENT employees are allowed to smoke but NEW employees can't

WOW!! Are you kidding me! That's one hell of a privilege. Current employees get basically a 10 million dollar payout - THEY DON"T HAVE TO QUIT!

That's like saying - CURRENT employees DON'T have to pay TAXES but NEW employees Do!

That's like saying - CURRENT nursing interns don't require to have a license to be RNs but NEW nurses have to have RN licenses.

This policy will likely to incite a CIVIL WAR between current employees and new employees.

I got to tell you, if my coworker CAN smoke But I am NOT allowed to smoke, I would be screaming until the beams at city hall fell to be allowed to smoke. (Just assuming I was a smoker.)

In addition, this new policy is exceptionally brutal as it does not allow for smoking OF ANY KIND or OF ANY AMOUNT.

This policy is also HIGHLY INTRUSIVE to a person's right to privacy.

Consider this.

Suppose a wife and husband both smoke. The husband currently works at the Villages Regional Hospital. The wife wishes to get a job at the Villages Regional Hospital. The Wife CAN'T smoke but the husband can.

I am all for a hiring band on smokers but it has to apply to CURRENT employees as well.