The CEO of Scott's (the lawn company) annouced on street signs this morning that they will begin firing smokers in one year in the 19 states it is legal for them to do so. In the intervening year they will pay for current smokers efforts to quit. They are doing this to save on health care costs. Scott's also puts a large emphasis on employees health by offering workout facilities to use on the clock. I say good for them.
For the good old American lifestyle: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money.
I still have a hard time believing that is legal in any state, much less 19.
It should be legal to run your business as you see fit in all 50.Originally Posted by Harry Beanbag
For the good old American lifestyle: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money.
its legal in texas.....my company has a "if you smoke, we dont hire you" policy, and if they can show you are a smoker......they can fire you for violating company policy
not sure how they do it, but they do
Why don't they just raise the premiums/reduce the benefits for smokers?
I'm not happy until you're not happy.
If I owned a business I would fire everybody who ever wore clothes with the color orange. How far would that get me?
smokers are not a protected class of folks. I'm guessing that the 19 states are 'employment at will' states where you can be fired for wearing a pink shirt to work.
Wait one year and a day to hear the uproar about 'they gave me no warning, they just fired me because I smoke' to start.
Out of college I applied to a construction company out of Atlanta I think that wouldn't hire nicotine users. Wouldn't talk to me after I sid 'Yes, I use Copenhagen'. Good for them.
one day
Good point. All them coloreds and women folk twern't doin' me no good no how.
Because the CEO wants to do it this way. It is probably simpler just to chuck the smokers overboard, than complicate things for the benifits people.
For the good old American lifestyle: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money.
ahhh, but smokers are not a protected class like women and minorities, veterans and handicapable folks are
one day
It would probably break you, but it would be your choice to break yourself, not the governments.
For the good old American lifestyle: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money.
You clearly have bigger issues than smoking.
.
if you're managing a Hooters, not very far
But this is throwing out the baby with the bath water.
You're one of the best employees we have, and even though you personally haven't cost us an extra cent the actuaries say you will one day so we're going to fire your *** now.
I'm not happy until you're not happy.
I think that just about finishes up the interview...oh, wait couple more questions. Do you or have you ever used alcohol, red food coloring, potato chips, Crisco, salt, heart medications, diet plans, ibuprofen, red meat, soda, charcoal or light from the sun?
the owner of the last company I worked for offered his employees $1000 cash to quit smoking. I almost started smoking just so I could quit!
don't know of a single person that took him up on that offer either. he even offered to bring in counselors and such to help them quit.
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A good employee would care about what he is doing to the companies cost structure.
For the good old American lifestyle: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money.
just fire them for taking smoke breaks
that should fix the glitch just fine
First off, I'm not sure it would survive a serious challenge on constitutional right-to-privacy grounds. Tobacco is a legal product people and adults have a legal right to use it -- off company property and when they're not on the clock. I can see them charging smokers more for their health plan, but thats it.
Secondly, do they plan random nicotine tests? Otherwise, how the heck do they discriminate if a guy says "I just quit?" Could be problematic, especially since dip, chew, nicotine patches and nicotine gum all register similarly on blood tests. Or will there be an outright ban on nicotine?
What about people who live with smokers and ingest enough nicotine during the course of their daily lives to pop hot on a nicotine test?
What about fatties? Are they going to fire them too if they don't lose weight? Its pretty well established that obese people have higher health care costs.
How about women? Their health care costs are higher on average than men. Fire them too?
They actually considered something like this "can the smokers" carp for a nano-second in the AF a few years back but decided it would be too tough to implement for a lot of the above reasons.
I bet if someone got canned over this they could bring a wrongful discharge suit and they could very well win big. It's happened before.
just saying.
"Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever they can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser; in fees, expenses and waste of time." -- Abraham Lincoln, (1809-1865) Lawyer and President who saved the United States.
"Without opportunities on the part of the poor to obtain expert legal advice, it is idle to talk of equality before the law"-- Justice Chas. Evans Hughes
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