[Stonehenge]

Do you allow it?

Do you allow smoking in the vehicles?

Do you have any restrictions on smoking ("If I find a butt in the client's rose garden, I'm docking you")

[Nebraska]

To date I have allowed it.....as an ex-smoker I can sympathize with the addiction....

In the vehicle...the rule is ask the other person(s) with you and the non-smokers are under instruction to speak their mind and hold their ground. If they're with me I tell them up front to not smoke around me.

In the future I would like to not allow smoking but in my opinion it's such a small detail and it does not seem to reduce productivity.



If they are with me and we're plowing snow at 3:00 AM I could care less and may "bum" a few.

How's that for a hypocritical boss?

[Stonehenge]

I allow it in trucks, and on the jobsite, but I won't tolerate it while the client is present, and expect to not find any butts on the job site.

[Nebraska]

I agree. To smoke in front of a client is rude.

I know I need some sort of written policy.

[Dale Wiley]

Non smoking company. Not in vehicles, not in the shop. On the grounds, never on a job site just not allowed. Same for chew.

Nicotine is no different than alcohol or weed, or meth.

And I chewed for a number of years too... it's just a better policy not to have it.

[Stonehenge]

Yeah - I guess I have empathy for the tobacco users, which is why I guess I'm not as stringent. You name the type of tobacco, and I've used it: chew, cigs, and my new fav, cigars. Even tried snuff when I was in high school...that was just weird.

[jwholden]

I've considered going no smoking but figure even if I ban it someone will light up anyway. I honestly don't mind if it happens during lunch, breaktime, and a minimum of 50' from the truck.

The newer member of the staff lights up every day at lunch time and tries to keep a low profile about it. I give him the fatherly 'Do you know what your doing to yourself?" everytime I see him smoking.

For some reason I think a guy working with a cigarette in his hand looks lazy, whether the guy is lazy or not.

When I was mowing lawns I had a guy that would finish his part of the job and go sit on the OTHER side of the truck and smoke (where he thought I couldn't see him). He got the find something to do speech after I saw that. God that p----- me off!

[jwholden]

My bad habit is intravenous injections. I need it four times a day, sometimes even more. I got fit with a pump so I can get my fix round the clock now, it has made life much better for me!

[Tim]

Insulin is something that enables your body to live JW. It is not something that effects anyone else other than maybe making them a little squeamish. Even though a tobacco user feels he needs and has to have his fix, you deserve to, and really do! Doing this publicly is fine in my book.

Tobacco however, kills people plain and simple! I smoked 3 packs a day, and chewed at least two tins a week. I understand the addictions, and I do have empathy for the people that still are suffering. But I do not condone, or even allow these public health hazards on our job sites. We pay our people to work with both hands, not fill up ash trays or spit in our client's flower beds.

Many people's lives depend on the tobacco industry, but I for one, look forward to it being outlawed in all public places. Just because someone has a bad habit, does that mean I should have to accept breathing it in, and wearing it home in my clothes?

Sorry if I did a Dennis Miller and got off on a rant. This subject just riles me up since I am still forced to breath the crap in, even though I kicked the habit! Tim

[dan deutekom]

I don't smoke. Never have and never will. But I do have to say:

Tim....There is nothing worse than a reformed smoker

[jwholden]

Tim,

Your a pretty large operation.

Have you lost any guys when you told them you have a no smoking operation or when guys just had to sneak one in and got caught?

[Tim]

Dan, I agree. I can be terrible!

JW, We have had a few that quit because of our policies. It is a hard thing to get & keep the right type of workers. The same goes for getting your client bases though. I would prefer to lose a worker and his bad habits, than good clients with open check books. I am not saying that money is everything, but it is after all, what feeds all of us.

Our policy is pretty simple. We use a three step to time off process. Two caught red handed for violating no smoking = verbal warnings. third offense is a formal write up. Three write ups(regardless of reasons) in one year = three days off w/no pay. (I choose the days!) Fourth write up in one year, and you are kicked to the bricks. (that means fired to us concrete guys, not going back to work! )

Since it was hard to enforce otherwise, smoking to and from a job site was tolerated to a point, provided everyone agreed to it in the vehicle(read forced, captive participants). When the workers are on lunch, off the clock, and off premises, then they were allowed to kill themselves in increments as well. But NEVER on the job site, or at our offices. Tim

[Stonehenge]

Dan, you are right on the money. My father used to smoke, and after he quit, while I was growing up, I swear every time I went to bowling league or anywhere else where people were smoking, when I got home he was the loudest complainer about how my clothes smelled, and gave me the 3rd degree about whether I had been smoking (heck maybe I figured that since I was suspected of doing it for so long, I may as well get the enjoyment from it ).

[Paul]

I still smoke but because of some of the places, we work we do enforce a no smoking rule. If you want to smoke at a park ok, but when we are doing schools nope. Infact we have a company pot for guys getting caught smoking around schools. $10 fine

What you should know is that I'm the biggest contrubutor to it!

I guess I should quit.....................Nah...............

[dan deutekom]

Paul

I bet you guys buy cartons of smokes with the money in the pot