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Smoking in the MachineShop


Greetings.
This is my first time posting here but I have visited this fine group
regularly for sometime. I hope this is not to much of a sensitive topic but
I am having great difficulties in just how to address this issue. I just
about have a war on my hands and may lose some employees over this and need
some experienced help. An employee that has long been gone forced the issue
and measures had to be taken. There was a smoking area provided where people
can go but the non-smokers want to be able to take 5-10 minutes per hour
break also. The smokers gather to takes their breaks whenever they want and
the non-smokers actually are harder workers. From the beginning one senior
man has always said he will quit if the shop ever became a non smoking shop.
If he leaves this will cause dire consequences.Others may leave if is were
to be the other way around. This has always been an easy going place to
work until now. Without going into any more details about the major problems
that have arisen can anyone please tell what to do?
Proto
Reply to
Proto
Loading thread data ...
"Proto" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
Why can they not smoke at the machines? You eliminate the so called *break* that way.
Reply to
Anthony
Smokers will find any way they can to feed their addiction. You have 2 choices: Let the cancer fiends smoke in the building or let them all go. The biggest screw offs and the ones that take the most sick time are smokers. You are better off without them. Who is in charge, you or them? The rules cannot be different for smokers and non smokers. Either you give everyone a 5 minute break every hour or everyone follows the same break schedule. If they don't like it, let them go.
Reply to
Bill Roberto
To let anyone go for any reason would be a blow to such a fragile shop just holding on. There just don't seem to be any workers around this area. Adds have run for months with not a single response. To hold things to letter of the law might be a disaster. I guess they are really in charge I suppose for now anyway. After all the guys that cut the chips are the backbone of any shop. If you need some parts out that week do you lose bigtime or do you cave?
J.
Reply to
Proto
...
Can you afford to give nonsmakers a small raise? After all they work more, its only fair to be compensated. Tell your work force you'll continue to give raises to people at the job all day long, not ones who need a 5 minute break every hour.
Karl
Reply to
Karl Townsend
I suppose you could do the democratic thing and get them all together to address the problem. As long as the tail is wagging the dog you may as well have the tail come up with a solution. Smokers and non-smokers will never get along but maybe they will come up with a compromise. It is difficult to regain managerial control once you have lost it. Unfortunately to get it back you have to be a hardass. Come up with a plan that will replace the real troublemakers,( my guess it is one or two pains in the ass that everyone is following) then replace them at your convenience.
Reply to
Bill Roberto
Oh nice. Cigarette butts in the chip pans. Cigarette burns on the tables of the the Bridgeports. Machines that make you stink just to touch them. Spent cigarettes floating in the coolant. Ashes and butts everywhere and not the nice kind of butts either. Why not just dump five tons of fresh cow shit in the aisles and be done with it ?
Reply to
hamei
I have thought of this. Even the quarter in the jar or putting a coin operated entrance to the smoking room. The Patch at the time clock.
J.
Reply to
Proto
There are both moderate and extreme views. Convenience doesn't seem to factor in this in any way. One year one side might out vote the other. I guess it is I had feared. Possibly no real solution.
J.
Reply to
Proto
You know, I was considering asking the same question this morning...
Our shop seems to be slightly different than yours.
We used to allow smoking until it became illigal to smoke inside at work. Our ceilings are typically 2-4 stories above the floor, so I'm sure it wasn't a big deal, other than dealing with the butts.
Now the smokers have to go outside to smoke. Some of the non-smokers are adiment that the smokers should be allowed no time off the job beyond the standard breaks. To me, I'd rather have a smoker take 5 min (I'll go to the water cooler) and be in a reasonable mood than having them all wired without their fix.
As far as "letting people go," this sounds nice until half your shop smokes (probably more than 50 guys/shift) and it is impossible to hire someone from another shop who is capable of doing the work we do (usually about 5 years or so).
It looks like management has yet to come up with a rule which can be both written in the employee handbook and actually followed on the shop floor.
I'll be watching this thread. Interesting idea of increasing wages for non-smokers. Something to keep in mind at my next performance apprasal....
Regards,
Robin
Reply to
Robin S.
First off, I am a smoker, and have been for 40 years. That said, we need to put this in prospective. Smoking is bad for you. No question about it. And the smokers in your shop need to release that public opinion has turned against them. There are very few places in the home of the free that allow smoking anymore. If you are a union shop you need to get the steward and sit him down and tell him the facts of life. In most states you can't even smoke in a welding shop or foundry. Don't come on as against smoking, just tell it like it is, sooner or later they will have to quit smoking. Address the issue by having your company health care provider come up with a quitting package. Get the nonsmokers to buy in on your fix, but remember the most militant nonsmokers are EXsmokers. I don't work in the trades any longer, I work in computer customer service (or Disservice). We are given 2 15 min breaks a day, plus lunch, and yes I spend my breaks outside smoking. but the rest of the time is spent working (more or less). Your people must realize they aren't special, everyone is the same whether they spend there breaks smoking or not. Back to Lurk mode. gary
Reply to
Gary Owens
I worked in a small shop as a machinist where there were vacuum vents that sucked up all the smoke before it got anywhere. It even removed all traces of that other brand a few smoked while on the job. I am considering the vacuum cleaner approach. The kind there were in a Mold Making shop I worked in the 80's that had a room full of units that sucked up the graphite dust. Maybe this approach would be agreeable if they took as much care as the 'other guys' in that other place not to let the smoke get around.. I always said that smokers of all types should be able to do what they want if it were in the same context as to keep it under wraps.
J.
Reply to
Proto
Make your place non smoking completely and let him go of his own accord, no one is irreplacable - he could be run over by a truck tomorrow and you'd be in exactly the same position.
Reply to
Martin Evans
Bill Roberto wrote in news:0GXYd.8066$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:
Bill,
Yer painting smokers as a bunch of screw offs and I dont see the correlation. IMO, most smokers are more than cogniscient of the fact of non-smokers not wishing to deal with second hand smoke, that to me, is so much PC bullshit, but we put up with it.
The same fucktwads will not complain about all the shit floating around in the shop air. Nor the material they have constant contact with but ya might as well just buy a rope and find a tree when smoking is concerned.
Its basic. You dont smoke in the shop. Its the law. Take yer 10 minute break either at one time or spread it out during the day. If you abuse the privaledge then yer ass is gonna git bitched out or worse.
Same applies to smelly bastards or people taking a 30 minute shit 3 times a day.
Bing
Reply to
Bing
This Editorial was approved by the Clique/Cabal, responsible replys to this editorial are welcome.
Reply to
Garlicdude
Its simple--smoke outside only or perhaps even create a designated indoor area....
And if you are gonna allow unscheduled casual breaks for smokers then you need to allow nonsmokers to do the same--and remind them when they bitch that nobody is saying that they cant take a short break whenever they too feel the 'need'...
Best solution is to just hire all smokers...they dont complain so much...
Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT
You're generalizing. I'm a smoker, and have taken 1 sick day in 8 years. I can also guarentee (as will my employer) my employer wouldn't be in business if I was "the biggest screw off".
Reply to
Steve Mackay
"Proto" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
Mist/Smoke collection/filter units are a good investment anyway. You know that the stuff coming off the metal isn't anymore good for you than smoking. Helps keep the shop clean too (even non-smoking shops). It also may reduce your medical insurance premiums, as the employees are not exposed to toxic fumes.
Reply to
Anthony
hamei wrote in news:c1.2c.2vvRjz$ snipped-for-privacy@huey.wanlong:
Butts don't belong in the chip pan, coolant tank or anywhere else except an ashtray. And yes, I am a smoker. But I never throw butts in a machine. Ash trays are not expensive.
Reply to
Anthony
Ours is a smoking shop--if nonsmokers don't like it then tough shit, they can go find someplace else to work.
Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

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