How To Fight






FIGHTING ANTI-TOBACCO IN THE WORKPLACE:
HIRE SMOKERS




The workplace has been one big target of the anti-tobacco cartel. The statistical frauds on the "dangers" of secondhand smoke have been heavily used to deprive smokers of their right to light up on the job, where the beneficial effects of tobacco are most useful to relief stress. Increasingly, companies and public agencies seek to control private behavior by firing people who smoke or refusing to hire smokers -- including those who smoke only outside the workplace.

There is much that can be done to fight anti-tobacco on the job.

IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE

  • If the employer is respectful of the right to smoke, at least a smoking area will be provided. Work with the employer and other smoking co-workers to keep the area clean, in order to avoid controversy which in turn may result in smoking prohibition.

  • If the employer is not respectful of your right to smoke,and you have to smoke outside, then it is important that your productivity is reduced to the minimum indispensable to preserve your job, especially if you are protected by a union contract.
    • take as many smoking breaks as possible
    • extend the duration of smoking breaks to the limit
    • if negative comments are made on your smoking breaks, emphasize that things would be different if a smoking area would be provided inside the building, and if your rights as a smoker would be respected.
    • if anti-smokers co-workers are infesting the workplace, do not socialize with them. Instead, socialize with your smoking co-workers only. If asked the reason of your behaviour, explain that smoking is your right, it is part of who you are, and that you demand respect as a whole person -- smoking included. Do not give in to peer pressure, and guilt trips. Don't let them think that the outcast is you. Show that you outcast them. Affirm yourself. Make them see that by being forced to smoke outside, your rights are being infringed on your rights -- you are not infringing on their rights when smoking inside where you belong.

  • Be intolerant of anti-smoking in direct proportion to the intolerance of smoking. You may be surprised to see what some guiltless initiative and some self-assurance can do. Anti- smoking has permeated society because it has shown an assertive, "out-of-the-question" attitude. Totally self-righteous, anti-smokers usually don't expect to be faced with the same kind of attitude the other way around. And that gives you an advantage.

  • if there are many smoking co-workers in the workplace, try to convince them to periodically write a petition to the management to institute a smoking area inside the premises. Keep writing petitions even if they are systematically turned down. The purpose of this exercise is to keep pressuring the management, so that it is clear that the smoking issue is not settled, and that smokers didn't "get used to it". This is important, for the political winds will soon change, and the restoration of your rights must be achieved at the first opportunity.

  • If you belong to a union, get together with your smoking coworkers and petition your union representatives for action on your behalf. Remember, they represent you.


IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER

Cleaning up the workplace

If you smoke (or if you are an intelligent non-smoker), you understand that the best way to avoid the escalation of "micro-conflicts" into "macro-conflicts" is to encourage civilized dialogue between smokers and non-smokers, and to institute a smoking area for your smoking employees.

If some of your employees are anti-smokers, they may be potentially dangerous to you. Anti- smoking organizations like ASH are very active in instigating intolerance, and in providing tactical and legal advice against you.

Expect some threatening request to ban smoking in the workplace, and if you do not comply, then expect the sudden appearance of headaches, allergy attacks, asthma attacks, sudden arguments with smoking co-workers, as well as absenteeism and passive resistance.

Do not fall for it. These tactics are commonly used (and even taught by anti-smoking organizations) to get you to give in to the "rights of the smoke-sensitive person", or just to avoid trouble. Just remember that your smoking employees have rights too.

Expect that these "smoke-sensitive" individuals will turn to the health authorities to force you to comply with their demands if you do not oblige.

Unless these employees are of extreme value to you, this is the time to make their life quite miserable, labour code at hand (important). Purging the workplace of anti-smoking activists will help to maintain a peaceful and harmonious environment where everyone can work without hassle.

The best cure is prevention: hire smokers

The best way to cure an anti-tobacco infestation in the workplace is to prevent it. When you hire a new employee, make sure that he/she is a smoker.

There are several ways to go about it.

  • If you look for new employees through newspaper advertisement, simply insert the sentence "smokers welcome." This will send a clear signal to people who do not like smoking, and they won't even show up. If they do, good chances are that they don't have a problem with other people smoking.

  • If you look for new employees through a personnel agency, make sure that the agency selects people who either smoke, or are tolerant of smoking.

  • In all cases, make sure you smoke (or have somebody smoking) in the room where the interview takes place. Carefully observe the reaction. At the slightest sign of contempt, discomfort, or disapproval, can them. You don't need problems in the workplace, especially if you are located in an area where smoking on the workplace is legally forbidden, and you have chosen to disregard that imposition.

Discrimination against smokers is too widespread already. If you choose between two candidate employees of equal value and you choose the smoker, you will help to balance against discrimination -- and it is known that smoking employees tend to have more initiative because of the personality traits that have led them to smoke in the first place!

And if you are a smoker yourself, a 100% smoking environment is the best way to avoid conflict.

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