Smokers feel especially vulnerable at companies where smoking restrictions are already in force or where top executives don't smoke. They worry that, at the very least, it will be harder for them to climb the career ladder than for nonsmokers. Indeed, in the past five years, smoking has gone from being a socially acceptable practice to one that is increasingly seen as a character defect indicating weakness and lack of self-discipline. Given such attitudes, many smokers are trying, with various degrees of success, to kick the habit. Among those in corporate America who continue to puff, many say they no longer feel like one of the guys.
Some bosses make no secret of their bias.
Smokers are feeling the heat because companies are taking a harder line on such issues as productivity, rising medical costs and the effects of passive smoke. Although there are conflicting claims about whether smokers cost employers more in terms of higher insurance rates and absenteeism, companies often cite such concerns to justify restrictive smoking policies. In addition, new state and local ordinances and employee complaints put significant pressure on many companies. Two-thirds of the 1,011 nonsmokers polled said they are more likely to think of their rights as nonsmokers than five years ago. More than half of the nonsmokers said cigarette smoke in the workplace bothers them.