As more and more workplaces go smoke-free, smokers have laid claim to the doorway as a place to light up and shoot the breeze. But company policies, building-management rules and even local ordinances are forcing them to retreat even farther afield. The outdoor cigarette klatch, a ubiquitous sight in many cities, has become increasingly unwelcome, particularly at building entrances. People walking in and out complain about the smoke, which is annoying to some but downright dangerous to those suffering from asthma, emphysema and other health problems. Delivery people don't like maneuvering through crowds that gather during lunch hours and at break times.
Custodians resent having to pick up cigarette butts.
And some businesses, particularly health-care providers, just don't think it looks good for staffers to puff away in front of their buildings. As a result, companies and institutions are cracking down on smokers using the doorway as a water cooler. So are their landlords and local governments. In a memo to its tenants, the company said it decided to take the action because of tenants' complaints about smokers crowding the doorways and cigarette butts littering the ground and overflowing from receptacles. A number of employers are also chasing smokers further from their front doors.