Christopher Ellis
Chris Ellis is an HR Consultant with Mace & Jones. He has been in HR Management throug...  full profile

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A Breath of Fresh Air

(10th July | 14:56)

A Breath of Fresh Air

Never having indulged I have always struggled with the 'rights' of smokers and admit that for me the 1 July couldn't come fast enough. Socially it gives me more choice since now I can choose pubs and restaurants on their ambiance and quality of food rather than solely on whether the smokers are in the majority!

The benefits of the ban, however, have not transferred seamlessly to the workplace. Before the 1 July, complaints would land on HR desks from aggrieved staff who were fed up with smokers taking additional breaks huddled in the street. Now there is the question of whether smokers are entitled to time off to attend a special course to help them break the habit. May be we should give people with a craving for rich desserts time off to go to the dietician or someone with no dress sense to have a makeover. Where is it going to end?

More seriously, what do you do you do when employees are working in people's homes. Repair and maintenance staff, for example, visit tenants or home owners. Many employers ask the householder to refrain from smoking an hour before the employee is due but what can you do if they don't or if they light up when your employee is there? Can you stop your employee from going there? Do you exclude non smokers from attending that particular customer? Tricky questions. The situation can even get worse if employees walk off the premises leaving jobs half done. However, when these problems hit their desk operations managers need solutions. I always believe in being decisive in situations like this. It is not the time to see all sides of the argument. Whilst they are on the premises the home is the employee's workplace. It is a confined space and, therefore, it must be smoke free since it is the law and the employer has a duty of care. A neat answer but I am sure I will get another call!

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