Is my husband being unreasonable not to employ a smoker?

[Yowey]

As he is an ex-smoker himself, i feel that it is hypocritical of him.
Adivce would be greatly appreciated.
Yowey.

Unreasonable yes, probably illegal too.

The smokers we employ take the piss regarding smoking breaks. I always have a good sniff when I interview now.

Oh really?
He hasnt said that that is why he doesnt have the job.
Yowey.

A tradie (electrician) on the road all the time. Youre probably right he could want alot of breaks.
Yowey.

Clear regarding what?

GeneHunt - you say smokers take the piss with breaks. What about the people who spend all day gossiping at the tea point?

It may be illegal, but you haven't told us why he objects?

I can say, as someone who has never smoked, that I wouldn't want to work in close quarters with someone who smokes heavily and have asked to move desks away from people who do. They are lovely people, but the smoke really does follow them, especially after they return from a break, and is rather ... potent. I would do the same for someone who bathed in aftershave. However, I do recognize this as my issue and don't ask them to change for it.

Have you actually asked DH why he doesn't want to emply a smoker?

Might be quicker than trawling through all the possible reasons we might give you?

I used to be DH's manager and he really took the piss with cigarette breaks.
Every bloody hour, sometimes more.
I'd tell him off for it, but he would just ignore me.

Marenmj, he objects because he would be taking up 'too much time' when he has to get to the next job. Five minutes at each stop is alot of time. Barnsleybelle, yes i have asked him.

hf128219 all the staff gossip all day long anyway. The smokers leave the premises to smoke and still taking additional time for tea breaks etc. They totally take the piss and they stink too.

I don't think he is being unreasonable but i suspect there is some law about discrimination or something.

I wouldn't want to employ a Smoker, they smell and they would be taking a lot of fag breaks, i would also be pissed off at anyone who was taking a lot of any breaks to be fair though.

Its not hypocritical for him to feel that way just becuase he is an ex smoker, they key word there is the EX!

TitsalinaBumsquash, the EX may mean that he knows what kind of smoker he was and wouldn't want to hire someone with those qualities?

True.
Thankyou.

True.

I often hear smokers complaining about preachy ex smokers and i always feel like saying, "Yes but they are ex smokers! They have kicked thier filthy habbit! Its not like thier blowing smoke in your face whilst telling you the perils of smoking!"

Sorry i get a bit ranty about smoking!

I don't think he's being unreasonable. i wouldn't employ a smoker.

As some others have said, they're forever outside puffing on a fag and probably end up working half a day less than their non smoking colleagues by the end of the week - smokers tend to go outside with other smokers so it becomes a 'social.'

Smokers are also more likely to be off sick too.

Nancy66, this is true.

while i don't dispute some smokers may take the piss with fag breaks i think it's incredibly unfair to claim all smokers do

i never in all the years i smoked and worked took additional breaks to smoke. i smoked on my regulation breaks.... and if that meant i had to wolf down lunch in 20 seconds flat to run outside and smoke then that's what i did.

it's no differant than someone not hiring a mother on the grounds 'she'll have to take loads of time off when her kids are sick'

it's discrimmination and it's ignorant... you can't claim all smokers behave in a paticular way just because some do

Nancy, that is horse hoowey. It is perfectly reasonable to insist that smokers only take the same breaks as non-smokers they should all get 15 mins every two hours anyway, the fact is that most empolyers benefit form non-smokers because they don't usually take their full entitlement of breaks. Smokers do, it may get up your nose but it is their right.

I also know a lot of people (myself included - although I have no quit) who do not smoke during work hours in any case.

Yowey, I hope your dh has not admitted this as it is discrimination, it is illegal and it is so unbelievably poncy it is untrue. The mark of a good manager is one who is followed willingly.

Starlight

when I was at work the smokers had a room on our floor. It just meant they had time for another quick one before they headed back .
It wouldn't bother me if I was not sharing a close personal space with them But is employee going to share van space or something ?

I have never really smoked ( did briefly as a very lame teenage rebellion thing) but I think smokers can honestly underestimate how much everything they spend time with starts to really stink.
I hate it when i buy clothes from ebay and seller is a smoker [bleeuurr emoticon] - the clothes just stink.

If it's a works van, he won't be able to smoke in it anyway, I suspect.

Seems a bit short-sighted to assume anything about the guy on the basis of 'Oh, smokers are ALL like this or that'.

And for those in offices where smokers congregate outside during their breaks - it's called networking! Builds relationships, allows information to be exchanged - if they weren't smoking at the same time companies would see it as a positive thing.

Bye mumsnet