[ Business | US Market | Industry | IPO | S&P | International | PRNews | BizWire | Finance Home ]

Company Press Release

Smoke Odor Can Snuff Out Job Prospects and Promotions

Most Americans, Workplace Etiquette Expert See Success (and Failure) in Smells

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 1998-- A professional suit and haircut only go so far in the work world. Recent graduates looking for work and seasoned professionals looking for a promotion need a nose for success to keep from being snubbed, according to a workplace etiquette expert and a national survey.

Personal smells can hinder professional success -- not only by leaving an unfavorable impression on prospective employers and supervisors, but also by bothering coworkers. Of the stinky workplace smells reported in the BANISH(TM) Smoke Odor Survey, tobacco smoke odor offends 72 percent of Americans, ranking behind only body odor (95 percent) and bad breath (92 percent).

``Whether you smoke or not, smelling like an ashtray can burn bridges to employment and career growth,'' said workplace etiquette expert Susan Morem. ``A spritz of perfume or cologne won't overcome the lingering smell of tobacco smoke on hair or clothing -- nor the consequences.''

The survey, which included 600 U.S. households and 200 sales professionals, revealed vast differences between smokers' and nonsmokers' perceptions of tobacco smoke odor's impact on professional success. (Sales professionals were polled because of the importance of their interaction with customers.) In general, smokers appear less aware of -- and less concerned with -- the consequences of smelling like an ashtray in the workplace than nonsmokers.

Up in Smoke

Smelling of tobacco smoke during a job interview can burn your chances of getting hired, especially if the interviewer is a nonsmoker. Forty-three percent of sales professionals who have been in a hiring situation have smelled tobacco smoke on a job candidate. More than half (52 percent) of nonsmokers in this group said the odor adversely affected their opinion of the applicant, compared to only 3 percent of the smokers.

``Among nonsmokers, a candidate who smells of smoke evokes an image of a person with little attention for detail,'' said Morem, author of How to Gain the Professional Edge.

Common ground between smokers and nonsmokers does exist, however. In situations where impressions matter, like job interviews, 75 percent of smokers and 95 percent of nonsmokers agree it's important not to smell of smoke.

Smoke Signals

The smell of tobacco smoke pervades the workplace. More than three-fourths (77 percent) of respondents said they work with someone whose clothing or hair often smells of smoke. Of those, four out of five (79 percent) are bothered a lot or somewhat by the odor. Again, nonsmokers (92 percent) object to the odor far more than smokers (38 percent). Some respondents (30 percent) have talked to others at work about a coworker who often smells of smoke.

``You don't want other people talking about how you smell,'' said Morem. ``Failing to address personal odors can jeopardize your reputation and your career.''

Tobacco smoke odor also can cloud professional relationships. Nearly 72 percent of sales professionals consider tobacco smoke odor offensive in the workplace. And 37 percent said tobacco smoke odor has negatively affected their relationship with a client, customer or coworker. In fact, 41 percent of nonsmokers say they have formed a negative opinion of someone based solely or in part on the fact the she or he smelled of smoke at the time.

Smelling like an ashtray can also burn rungs of the career ladder. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of respondents agree that regularly smelling of tobacco smoke odor could hurt a person's career -- 48 percent of smokers and 78 percent nonsmokers share this view.

Clearing the Air

People who smoke at work don't want the smell to follow them. Of the 22 percent of Americans who smoke, more than three-quarters (77 percent) light up during their work day. The vast majority (87 percent) of them prefer their clothing and hair not smell of tobacco smoke afterward.

In an attempt to cover up or reduce the smell of smoke in their clothing and hair, people resort to all kinds of methods, including perfume and cologne (an odor that 37 percent of respondents also found offensive in the workplace) and driving with the car windows down. But these tactics don't eliminate the odor.

Now there's a way to extinguish tobacco smoke odor and restore a professional image: a clear liquid called BANISH(TM) personal smoke deodorizer. A water-based mist that removes same-day tobacco smoke odor trapped in clothes and hair, BANISH personal smoke deodorizer contains no scent of its own, so it doesn't cover or mask the smell. A few liberal spritzes of the natural, nontoxic spray neutralizes the odor as it evaporates and works best when used within a few hours after exposure to smoke.

BANISH personal smoke deodorizer is available at convenience, drug, grocery and mass market stores near breath fresheners and tobacco accessories. The product comes in a portable bottle for $2.69 and an economy size for $6.99. BANISH personal smoke deodorizer is made and marketed by CNS, Inc., a publicly-traded company (Nasdaq: CNXS - news) dedicated to solving everyday problems with innovative products.

The BANISH Smoke Odor Survey, conducted in October 1997 by NFO Research, polled 1,000 American households, including 600 balanced representative U.S. households, with an additional 200 sales professionals and 200 restaurant workers. Similar to the U.S. population, the sample consisted of 78 percent nonsmokers and 22 percent smokers. The survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

     Shandwick, Minneapolis
     Kirstie Baxley or Berit Sunde
     612/832-5000
     kbaxley@shandwick.com
     bsunde@shandwick.com