Refused a job because I smoke....

System

[quote=tomsolomon;16600175
Smoking is an affliction for most people, and should be classed as a handy cap, I do not appreciate being treated like a third class citizen. I would love to give up, but as it is, I smoke. Fine they have stopped smoking in public places and in the work place. What I do in the privacy of my own home is my buisness, and should not be an excuse for refusing employment.[/quote]

why on earth should smokers be seen as "handy capped " that remark is disgraceful ! is the job in your own home ? i find that smokers where i work "need" more breaks than non smokers which is fine if the time they take comes off their lunch hour but it doesnt ! as a non smoker why should i have to work along side someone who smells like an ashtray? now every one [smokers] are going to say they dont smell but believe me you DO !!!:mad:

foxxymynx

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not sure about that, I realise that I use my smoking as a prop against my anxiety because of my aspergers. It helps me slow my breathing and bring down my panics when I've hit a brick wall and everything's just gone Pete Tong. It helps me to focus my mind and get straight again. While in the workplace this isn't an issue, but outside of the workplace, interacting with people/normal daily life, it's certainly something that's helped. And once it's got you in its grip you do smoke more. But I now realise why I smoke and what I use it for.

Without smoking I'd become irrational and angsty.

You're using smoking as your relaxation technique. Non-smokers have relaxation techniques too, - just it doesn't involve lighting up!

toofy

Remove the word "smoker" and insert any other (less emotive) term - then tell me it's right to discriminate in this way. It's so wrong.

I do not smoke and, in fact, find it repulsive. However it's a lot less repulsive that people being discriminated against; in ANY way and others legitimising this discrimination based solely on their personal, rabid, hatred of smokers and smoking.

I'm sometimes ashamed of the way we, the non-smoking, silent majority refuse to speak up in defence of a section of our population that really are easy targets.

Anyhow, on a lighter note; I hope my husband never gets the chance to "hire and fire" based on his own personal choice - Man Utd fans need not apply! :-) ........... not really that ridiculous, i suppose.

SandC

There is someone at work who will base an employment decision on football. If he's hiring and someone is an avid supporter of the 'other' team then he will make some sort of excuse as to why he can't hire them. Seriously. He asks about football in interviews.

Voyager2002

toofy wrote: »

Remove the word "smoker" and insert any other (less emotive) term - then tell me it's right to discriminate in this way. It's so wrong.

I do not smoke and, in fact, find it repulsive. However it's a lot less repulsive that people being discriminated against; in ANY way and others legitimising this discrimination based solely on their personal, rabid, hatred of smokers and smoking.

I'm sometimes ashamed of the way we, the non-smoking, silent majority refuse to speak up in defence of a section of our population that really are easy targets.

However, there are a host of practical reasons why a smoker is likely to perform worse than an equally-qualified non-smoker in a range of jobs. Not to mention the probability of more days off sick in the future...

esuhl

I can't understand why people consider it unfair not to employ a smoker! I provide lunch for interviewees, and generally don't employ anyone who chooses white bread or meat. If people eat meat, they are probably crueller and are more likely to engage in criminal acts against animals, while people who eat white bread are likely to have a less healthy diet and therefore take more time off sick. People who eat both will become slightly drowsy as the yeast and non-complex carbohydrate in the bread ferments with the proteins in the meat, resulting in the conversion of sugars to alcohol.

All in all, there are many reasons why meat-eaters and those with a diet low in complex carbohydrates are likely to perform less well than a vegetarian with a good diet.

Oh, hang on, now I think about it, there many other reasons why an employee may not perform optimally. Their parents may have died at a young age affecting them psychologically, or maybe they like to go to bed quite late. If they watch football, they're more likely to be a hooligan and more likely to take time off to watch a match or be distracted during cup finals. Really, the ability to perform well in the job is of much less importance than these other factors, so I can see we'll need to ask a lot more lifestyle questions in future interviews. The sooner they make smoking, football and eating meat illegal, the better.

Or should we just focus on the primary factors such as experience, qualifications, ability to do the job, etc.? Good grief - no! I'm a vegetarian, non-football-watching, non-smoking brown bread lover and if I can get a job over someone who smokes, likes football, etc. then I'm all for it!

tomsolomon

esuhl wrote: »

!

I must eat more steak sandwiches on white.........:D

And for those enraged people who didn't read the thread properly :rolleyes:. Please read this online definition>>>
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/handicap

viktory

hamstercheeks wrote: »

also,no we do not stink

Sorry, but you do. I can smell a smoker from 100 yards AND I can smell a smoker who has just eaten a mint.

I stopped smoking 9 months ago and am amazed at how much smokers smell. You smokers all protest that you wash, wash your clothes etc, etc. Trust me, it makes no difference how clean you are - once you have smoked a cigarette, you stink. Bad. When I was a smoker I couldn't smell it. Now I can and I am telling you, smokers smell of cigarettes. Fact. Utterly ridiculous to say that you do not.

bathgatebuyer

viktory wrote: »

Sorry, but you do. I can smell a smoker from 100 yards AND I can smell a smoker who has just eaten a mint.

You must work in my office! We have a guy in there who smokes 60 a day but has a mint to freshen his breath occasionally like having minty breath is an issue when everything else stinks!! Thankfully he doesn't work on the customer services side.

Burlesque_Babe

Have to say, my OH does that - sucks on mints and I think he thinks it stops the smoke smell. It doesn't matter how clean the clothes are, the smell doesn't go away.