Boss surrounded by smokers
DEAR AMY: I work in a small office with three other employees. They all smoke.
If I had known they smoked, I would not have hired them. Studies show that smokers are less productive (due to time away from their desk on smoke breaks), and have higher rates of illness than nonsmokers.
Perhaps I should have been more diligent at the interviewing stage and when checking references, but one employee admitted that she took great pains not to smell of cigarettes prior to her interview.
My problem is my resentment and irritation toward them. All winter long, one or the other is coughing, hacking, sniffing or getting over an illness, which I believe is linked to their smoking.
They are ill for longer periods and more often than I am. This winter alone, I sent two of them home because their state of health was affecting their job performance.
They smell terrible! I resist the urge to move backward when they are speaking directly to me.
One of my employees came into my office directly after a “smoke break” and leaned down next to me so we could both look at my computer screen. Having to breathe next to her made me feel ill for several hours afterward. I frequently have to sit next to them at their desk for training or other purposes. I dread this contact.
I could ban smoking breaks, because they are not entitled to these in their contract or our employment standards.
I know I’m not perfect, but I don’t believe I have habits that have such an impact on others. How should I handle this? M, in Ontario, Canada
DEAR M: Cigarette smokers can take steps to mask the noxious smell, which can permeate their skin, hair and certainly their clothing. Smokers can wear hats, a glove (on their smoking hand), and a jacket or shirt over their clothing (a modern take on the “smoking jacket”). They should wash their hands and brush their teeth afterward.
Because you are the only nonsmoker in your office, you are the only person who notices and is affected by the smell — the smokers’ sense of smell is already dulled by their habit.
Your co-workers have the right to ruin their own health on their own time, but why should they do it on your company’s time, especially when it has such a negative impact on you?
If you are contractually able to, you should ban smoke breaks. This will cut way down on the impact to you (though they can still smoke before work and during lunch), and might inspire one or more to quit — either to quit smoking, or quit working for you.
DEAR AMY: “Feeling Protective” came off as very overprotective, in my opinion. Her reluctance to leave her children with her in-laws sounded ridiculous, to me.
Active Grandparent DEAR GRANDPARENT: These grandparents had health problems, the children were quite young and there was an unsecured swimming pool. I thought this parent was just the right amount of concerned.