Posted By Dave Merchant
I think the guy's got a point, albeit buried behind some over-aggressive actions. If other areas of employment can impose conditions on staff without hitting 'discrimination' (e.g. min age limits for bar staff, fitness levels for firefighters, etc) and smoking in that workplace is still legal, I can see no reason against employing someone who smokes or who has no objections to others smoking as a specific criterion. It's part of that workplace (aside from if that's a good thing or not), and it should be permitted for the candidate to be someone who wants to accept those conditions.

Sacking someone who doesn't is a different issue though!

Posted By David Bramall
Mmm very interesting

As a total neutral in the smoking / non smoking debate I have to say that I agree with the employers action here, he has seen trouble brewing and nipped it in the bud. As for smokers only being employed if they agree to wear nicotine patches; surely this implies that the workplace is non smoking and so it doesn't really matter what they wear ( as long as they are respectable). A smoker by the action of not actually smoking surely cannot annoy anyone whereas a non smoker complaining can.

On another note, the German system appears quite reasonable whereby small offices etc. can allow smoking if deemed appropriate instead of the "big brother" type approach that we have adopted.

DrB

Posted By shaun mckeever
I remember an article once where a drinker said he didn't smoke. He said he pulled the ring pull of his beer and it sprayed all over the smoker sitting opposite him. The smoker got upset because the beer sprayed all over his clothes and in his hair. The drinker said to the smoker 'why are you getting upset when your vice is doing exactly the same to me as my vice has just done to you?'.

I think the drinker has a fair point.

As for sacking someone who doesn't smoke, my view is that everyone has a right to work in a clean, smoke free environment. I just wonder what would happen if it were in this country. Would the boss be taken to court for such an action?