Introducing a No Smoking Policy in a Small IT Firm: How to Handle Hiring and Compliance?

Hi,

I am working in an IT company, and we are under 25 employees. I would like to introduce a NO SMOKING Policy in my company. However, there are some doubts on which I need your opinions.

1. When selecting a candidate who is extremely talented but is a smoker, should we hire him on the condition that he does not smoke during office hours, or should we reject him entirely?

2. If we hire him with the condition of not smoking, but later discover that he has smoked, how should we address this situation?

3. Can you provide me with the names of some IT companies that have successfully implemented this policy?

My management is in favor of implementing this policy, and we do not wish to have a 'restricted area' either. Kindly advise.

Regards,
Soumya Shankar

Hello Soumya,
I think having a no-smoking policy in the office is very vital and a good thing but you cannot be partial towards smokers during recruiting.
It's partially like not hiring a person because he is a non-vegetarian. Bias is not good and in some countries the prospective employee can sue you for that.
However, you can easily create a policy where no employee is allowed to smoke inside the office premises or you can allot a smoking area, which can be the only place where smoking will be allowed [perhaps a balcony or terrace].
You can also add a "fine" policy where anyone caught breaking the rule will have to pay some money to the office club.
I think most IT and BPO companies have such policies and it should not be very difficult to implement.
Warm regards,
CiteHR Admin

Hi Soumya,

[Wipro e Peripherals (WeP)] is one company I remember which has a strict No-Smoking and probably a No-Smoker Policy. I distinctly remember their PPT from my MBA days; they mentioned it and were keen on selecting only non-smokers. However, it's more a matter of policy to be taken up by an individual company.

What exactly is your concern? Smokers or Smoking?

As CHR suggested, allocating Smoking Zones [Balcony / Terrace] is a good idea. They will effectively keep the 'smoke' out of the Office Premises and at the same time minimize the risk of excluding a good 'smoker' candidate. I think WeP will not mind helping you with their policy. In case you need some contact, I could try.... ;-))

Hi,

Thanks, CHR. I think the 'fine' system should be a good idea. It's not being partial to anybody; probably one can take it as a social responsibility. Imagine all the companies having a No Smoking Policy. Also, we would not want to provide any restricted area for smoking. It is absolutely 'NO SMOKING'.

Thanks for your inputs, Shoonya. My concern is smoking and not smokers. They can continue with their smoking after office hours. It would be of great help if you could assist me with this.

Regards,
Soumya Shankar

Hi,

Do you mean to say that an employee should not smoke even when he is out of the company? Normally, no one smokes while at work. This is the basic rule, not even inside the company. But during lunchtime, they are free to do it other than having drinks.

Regards, N. Neelam

Hi, Saumya...

You know what... Talk to some smokers – colleagues, batchmates, friends, etc. Find out how long they could go without the puff. A "NO SMOKING" Policy 'sounds' good but is it feasible... Smoking Zones need not be inside company premises. They can very well be outside the premises.

Having fines, in my opinion, is not a sufficient deterrent and does not solve any problem. When a smoker wants to smoke, he/she will smoke. And if your problem/concern is smoking and not Smokers, then your actions should be directed towards smoking and not smokers. Smoking should and could be prevented within company premises.

Outside the company premises, what an employee does is not within the jurisdiction of the employer. If rules like 'smoking prevention during working hours' are applied, they can have a pretty unpredictable reaction. Smokers will definitely not like it.

Another point is the real number of smokers in your organization currently. You said your org. is less than 25 people. If the number of smokers is very low (less than 5), it might be easier to implement a NO SMOKING regime now and sustain it later. In that case, people who join will know beforehand what is expected from them.

Coming back to the beginning, take views of Smokers into account. I bet all those who are keen on the No Smoking implementation; none of them is a Smoker!! Get some smokers into the loop and make them participate in the new regime formulation. Later on, this will be instrumental in gaining better cooperation from them; since they were involved in the formulation.

All the Best... And do keep us posted about the progress... ;-)

By the way, I am a non-smoker!! ;-)

Dear Readers,

I can see a lot of smoke on this matter. Before expressing views, let me clarify first of all: I myself am a smoker-friendly non-smoker. Smoking is a habit that can be given up. Most of the offices in Delhi are now no-smoking zones, as the new legislation of the Delhi government prohibits smoking in public places, which has created a lot of awareness. Smokers find it difficult to abruptly give up smoking due to office changes, job changes, or policy changes. Consideration for small smoking zones in open areas can be initially considered, which can be gradually closed after some time. Even smokers will find it difficult to go out in high temperatures and smoke.

Hey, isn't there a rule or a policy for this? Like, an office with more than a certain number of people has to have a section allotted or something?

At Lintas, the smoking lounge is on the stairs. I remember going for a project, and goodness, their stairs stink.

Hey,

That was a good idea of getting smokers in the loop and then implementing the policy. Thanks for the suggestion. I shall implement it and let you know the success.

Regards, Soumya Shankar

Greetings all,

I have reviewed your feedback on the No Smoking policy and the suggestions provided, but implementing these ideas into practice seems quite challenging. Smokers often struggle to adhere to such rules. In industries like BPO, where the workload is demanding, smokers often feel the need for a quick smoke during breaks to relax their minds. Based on my experience, I have come to realize that quitting smoking is indeed a difficult task.

Warm regards,
Ancel Fernandez

Hi,

I went through your posting. There are some interesting views. Let me introduce myself - I am a non-smoking friendly person who has worked in organizations with a NO SMOKING POLICY and never had any problems. Most knowledge management firms have a central AC system, so you can't smoke in the office (it's all common sense). I wouldn't suggest having any "initial smoking zone" as it tends to become a Permanent Smoking Zone (the Lintas thing - Sunayana's posting - reminded me of Hewlett Packard HO in Gurgaon). So, don't worry and go ahead.

ATB, bye....

Show - Week

Dear Soms,

The concept is good. While I did my internship at MICO, Nagnathpur Plant in Bangalore, they adopted a policy where even smokers in their company should stop smoking in the factory premises. They started with the awareness programs which were organized by NIMHANS. You can contact them; they will provide some info on that. Later, the policy came into existence, and if the employees want to smoke, they have to go out of the factory premises.

But yours is a small company with 25 people. You can introduce the policy and also the awareness for the existing employees. However, you need to think about the effect of implementation. The employees should not develop a negative attitude just for implementing this policy. You should make them understand that the policy is implemented for the good of the organization and a change in culture. Instead of you as an HR head implementing it, it would be better if you ask for suggestions from smokers and non-smokers in your organization.

The policy of implementing a "fine" is good. Also, you can implement something like bad remarks will be added if found smoking inside the campus. But make sure this will not be a reason for an increase in the attrition rate in your organization.

While recruiting, you can orally tell them the rules of the organization during orientation and also ask for their suggestions on the same.

All the best! 😉

Regards,

Hi all,

Smoking is more of an OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Speaking from a smoker's point of view, he or she would rather lack concentration if prohibited from doing so.

I agree that it hampers non-smokers too because even if they enter a room after someone has smoked, it smells horribly. But these issues can be taken care of.

Hi, :P

I do believe that when a company would like to implement a strict no-smoking policy, it will reflect the ethics of that company. Therefore, each employee will have to adjust themselves to the company's rules and regulations. No human beings are smokers from birth; it is an acquired habit that can be avoided with strong willpower because it depends on individual desire.

Soumya.mule

Hi,

Thanks for all your inputs. As Pramod suggested, I think it would be a good idea to first spread the awareness and then implement it as a policy. We could talk to some NGO and ask them to come over and give a program and then go about with the policy. Actually, this could also be taken to be a social responsibility if it works right. Is there anything else that we could do in a small way to help society?

Regards,
Soumya Shankar

This would be in violation of the Equal Opportunities Act! Well, in the US and UK at least, where if a candidate is rejected on these grounds, then the candidate can sue the company.

In these countries, the employment commissioner requires the employer to record the reason for non-selection. The employer can be prosecuted if the reason is not good enough.

These laws are coming to India and are being discussed in various circles.

In India, we are driven by cultural nuances, and this is one of them.

No Smoking Policy - World Over - is No Smoking in the office premises. I am surprised that this has gone to the lengths of not recruiting smokers.

Yes, you can put in the Employee Handbook that smoking is not allowed on the building premises and specify the actions that will be taken if someone is found smoking.

You cannot discriminate based on someone who smokes.

However, to be fair to the employer, these are the reasons why they might want something like that:

a. Social responsibility for the health of employees

b. Smokers' breath during meetings annoys people

c. Smoking during office hours, even outside the building, leaves a bad impression.

Well, if you are interested in a Standard No Smoking Policy, let me know. I have written one.

I agree with the view expressed before that a "non-smoking policy" is about the behavior and not the person. Whether they smoke off-site or after hours is not something to be controlled by the company.

In South Australia (and probably most of Australia), it is legislated that all workplaces are "smoke-free." Some companies still maintain a smoking area separate from the workspace, but they run the risk of being sued later - believe it or not, by smokers who get lung cancer from smoking during work time!

All government work sites are smoke-free zones. There are no areas for smoking, and if smokers want a "puff," they have to go out in their own time to a public area, usually the street. The no-smoking policy also applies to company cars, even if the smoker is the only driver.

Of course, plenty of employees bend the rules, either by going out during work time for a smoke or by smoking in the work cars when they are alone. Not a lot happens unless a member of the public complains, or unless the worker's productivity is low because of too many smoke breaks.

The good thing is that with no-smoking work sites almost being the standard for all of Australia, our percentage of smokers in the population has dropped from over 60% several decades ago to about 25%.

Hi Soumya. 😂

I would like to give you a smoker's point of view. See, as a smoker, it's very difficult to quit due to some rules in the company. If a person has been smoking for over a year, then smoking becomes an extension of his personality or a characteristic that is hard to change. Since you work for a software company, you can bring about this change slowly, as sudden changes can lead to resentment, and always remember you might lose out on good employees. There are plenty of jobs for software professionals, with around 200 companies in Bangalore alone. Most smokers perceive restrictions on smoking as an invasion of their privacy. In the U.S., they might even sue the company over the issue – just kidding. Instead of banning smoking entirely, you guys can create smoking zones. As suggested by others, you can also invite cardiac doctors to discuss the issue, as fear is a great motivator, and nobody questions a doctor's credibility. Do something innovative, but remember not to bring about sudden changes in the system.

All this was just a smoker's expression.

Regards,
Vishal 😂