When a Co-worker Smokes

Clean indoor air legislation, which has been enacted in most states, was intended to protect the rights and limit the exposure of nonsmokers to the noxious fumes emitted by tobacco smoke—particularly in the workplace where employees had little choice regarding their work environment and their proximity to smokers. Much has changed over the past two decades and nonsmokers have much cleaner air to breathe at the workplace, in general.

Although this, and similar, legislation has forced most smokers outdoors or into designated smoking areas, it has not eliminated the problem altogether. Some smaller companies are exempt from clean indoor air regulations and others have been slow or unwilling to enforce clean indoor air rules.

On a personal level, smokers still smoke. They regularly trek off to designated smoking areas, which are usually in the hinterlands of the property or off the worksite altogether. This takes a lot of time, and depending on how often they need to smoke, and how far they have to travel to the designated smoking area from their workstation, their productivity can suffer. Others, in defiance of company policies, sneak off and smoke in stairwells and other secluded areas and complain about the unfairness of the policies.

Given this climate, here are some facts and strategies that may help you cope better with tobacco-using co-workers and even nudge them toward quitting.

Fact: Smokers are addicted to nicotine. Withdrawal symptoms begin one to two hours after the last smoke. As a result, smokers will organize their workday around their need for nicotine.

Strategy: Talk openly with an addicted co-worker about her smoking schedule. Acknowledge her addiction, the time it takes away from her work and how it affects you. Negotiate a fair and reasonable schedule that doesn’t leave you feeling resentful. Speak up—and speak your mind.

Fact: Most smokers want to quit. Most have tried—and failed numerous times. They tell themselves that they will quit—someday.

Strategy: In your own words, ask about your co-worker’s attempts to quit. What worked and what failed. Tell him you want him to quit and will support his effort.

Contact your company’s employee assistance program or human resource department and inquire about organizational wellness and community-based support programs for smoking cessation. Share the information with your smoking co-worker and encourage him to follow through. Ask how you can help him take the first step.

Fact: It is much easier to quit smoking when you don’t have to go it alone. Many companies want to develop employee wellness and smoking cessation programs and support groups.

Strategy: Ask your manager and other like-minded co-workers about developing a smoking cessation program for employees. Talk with other smokers who might be interested. Organizational support can make all the difference because smokers are frequently ostracized and made to feel like outcast or second-class citizens. When they perceive that their employer and co-workers are supportive, their motivation to quit will increase and their chances of staying quit improve.

There are no easy answers to the problem of smoking in the workplace. Smoke-free workplace policies have opened the door but have not solved the problem. Addiction to tobacco remains the No. 1 preventable cause of death and disability in the United Sates. Encouraging smokers to quit on a personal level while providing viable program support to do so is an excellent strategy.

By Drew Edwards, EdD, MS
© 2005 Achieve Solution