How to Handle a Chain-Smoking Director Violating Office Smoking Policy? Seeking Advice

Dear Seniors, I have a very different problem to discuss and request you to provide a valuable solution for the same.

Issue with Smoking Policy Enforcement

My director is a chain smoker, and despite many requests, he smokes on the office premises, creating a very unprofessional ambiance. We have a company policy signed (by him) stating that smoking is STRICTLY PROHIBITED within the office premises, and any employee found doing so will be punished.

Query on Enforcement for Directors

Now, my query is: What punishment can be given to the Director/owner of the company? Are the rules only applicable to employees? Do we have any rules and regulations for the employer as well?

I really do not understand how to derive a solution. Please suggest.

Regards,
Smriti

Addressing Employee Complaints About Smoking

Whether this is your complaint or the complaint of all employees, if it is the complaint of all employees and you are the HR head, you can represent the case in front of your boss in a mild way on behalf of the employees. If you are not an HR person, you can present it to HR.

Last but not least, if it is your complaint and no other employees have a problem, then it's better to adjust with him until you find a better job. Since he is the owner, he will make decisions according to his choice, and the policy will be amended accordingly. There is a good saying: "The boss is always right because he is the boss," and even if the boss is wrong, you still have to follow him because he is the boss. Thus, you cannot ask your boss to leave his cabin; instead, you should leave his cabin. Whenever he asks you the reason for leaving his cabin, you can say that you are allergic to smoking, and gradually he may quit smoking in the office or public area.

Hope this will resolve your query.

Regards

Dear Saji, Thank you for the reply. I am working as an AM-HR, heading the HR department, and reporting directly to the Directors. The issue I had discussed is actually a complaint that I occasionally receive from my employees. I have previously requested my director to address this matter and explained the problems we typically encounter. He assured me that he would not repeat it, but as you said, HE IS THE BOSS. I truly enjoy my job here and have no desire to move elsewhere.

Regards, Smriti

I don't know whether it works, but you can ask each employee to wear a mask whenever they meet your boss and stick NO SMOKING signs everywhere. Maybe he will feel guilty and stop smoking.

Some have given you some good ideas. So, let me ask a couple of questions to get a clearer picture of the scenario. How large is the organization, and is the Director who smokes a major shareholder/partner? Does he report to anyone else, or is he the top man?

Dear Simhan, We have around 40 employees and 2 directors. One is a silent director, and the other (who smokes) is the main person in the company as he makes most decisions and is solely involved in the company's operations. He does not have anyone superior to him; he is indeed the "TOP MAN."

Here, I would like to share something with all of you. When he was smoking in the common area, I went and closed the door in his face (I think he felt at fault and at least I cannot take it). Later, to my surprise, he wanted to inquire about certain things with me (random queries, maybe to check my temperament), to which I did not give a detailed answer (to ensure he understands what is running in my head). After that, I saw him smoking on the next floor. Now, here the problem remains the same only the location of the crime changes. :)

The thing is if I take any action against him (maybe by wearing a mask), his sentiments might get hurt, and the results will surely not be positive. Besides, I want to make him understand the problem rather than making him feel guilty (as nobody can make anyone feel guilty; it is the inner feeling a person has).

Please advise,

Smriti

Thanks, Smriti, for the details. It is always prudent to give all the details at the outset as it helps experts to give suggestions based on full facts. Are there other smokers among the staff, and if so, what do they do? Do they go out of the building to smoke, or is there a smoke room?

This reminds me of a story told by my father. It seems that during the time when the British ruled India, one of the British managers was in the habit of putting his feet up on the table while talking to people. Once, one of his new subordinates put his feet up on the table when the boss walked in and started to talk. The boss called him and asked, "Why did you put your feet on the table? Do you not know that it is rude?" To which the subordinate replied, "Sir, I was only copying you. I thought that was good manners. My father had told me that we should always copy English Gentlemen, as they set the standard for politeness and are well-mannered." The boss had no answer and desisted from doing it from then on.

Maybe you could quote this to the director and say that if a worker copied him and smoked at work, it would not be easy to take action and discipline the worker.

Thanks, Smriti, for the details. It is always prudent to give all the details at the outset, as it helps experts to give suggestions based on full facts. Are there other smokers among the staff and, if so, what do they do? Do they go out of the building to smoke, or is there a smoke room?

This reminds me of a story told by my father. It seems during the time the British ruled India, one of the British managers was in the habit of putting his feet up on the table while talking to people. Once, one of his new subordinates put his feet up on the table when the boss walked in and started to talk. The boss called him and asked, "Why did you put your feet on the table? Do you not know that it is rude?" To which the subordinate replied, "Sir, I was only copying you. I thought that was good manners. My father had told me that we should always copy English gentlemen, as they set the standard for politeness and are well-mannered." To that, the boss had no answer and desisted from doing it from then on.

Maybe you could quote this to the director and say that if a worker copied him and smoked at work, it would not be easy to take action and discipline the worker.

You mean to say that employees have to smoke to teach their superior/boss a lesson, which I don't agree with. But yes, you can quote that it will be difficult to take appropriate action against any employee if they smoke in the office.

We do have other smokers in our organization, but since I have introduced the policy of "NO SMOKING WITHIN OFFICE PREMISES," they make a point to go out and smoke. They understand the problem and cooperate. Also, I discussed with my director that if he smokes on the premises, others may also start doing the same. To this, he replied, "I won't repeat."

Regards,
Smriti

With the chain smokers, it's very common, and since he is the director, he has the license to do so. I mean to say he doesn't have fear from anyone and can do as per his wish. When you point out the things and convey them to him, he agrees. It might be that he himself doesn't want to smoke in office premises, but as you have mentioned, he is a chain smoker, so he does it just because of his habit.

Wearing a mask and all can be a good option, but as you understand, it can hurt his sentiments and create problems for you.

Suggestion for Addressing the Issue

What I can suggest to you is to have a meeting with him, try to understand his perspective, and convince him that it's neither good for him, his image, nor for the company and its employees. If he wants to continue this habit in the same way, then you don't have any option but to tolerate him, as he can replace any of you and hire new employees under the condition of no smoking. However, from your description of the problem, I feel that he himself is somewhat guilty and understands that you are not wrong. Even if he wants to control it, he may not be able to do so.

Therefore, I suggest making more pamphlets, especially for your boss's surroundings. Take good printouts from the internet, show them to him, and ask him frankly, "Sir, we have created these for you, just to remind you about 'no smoking.' Please let us know where to place them."

Designated Smoking Areas

Considering he is a director and his time is valuable, we cannot expect him to leave his office every time to smoke. You can designate one or two areas where he can smoke, like the washroom area or his cabin (decide based on your office layout). This is not to encourage smoking but to encourage discipline and rule-following.

I would also like to mention that some of your colleagues may criticize you in front of others but praise the director to his face, questioning your productivity. Be cautious of them.

Keep your eyes open and act as you see fit.

Best Wishes,

Gunjan