strike you off the list the moment they smelt cigarette smoke on you

In what has been described as a legal grey area, some companies in the United States and in the European Union have initiated a nonsmoking rule for new employees! Technically it is illegal to fire somebody or to rule them off the employment list for smoking but you would have an extremely difficult job trying to prove that the reason you didn’t get the job was because you smoke!

Off the record, many employers would just immediately strike you off the list the moment they smelt cigarette smoke on you in the job interview. Employers say that they do not want smokers because they waste time on cigarette breaks, they give a bad and unhealthy impression to their company and that smokers are less productive and more likely to call in sick.

If you are thinking of getting a good job this year and you are still smoking you could be drastically reducing the chances of getting the job you deserve. You should also be aware that research has shown that even smokers judge smokers detrimentally meaning that even if your potential boss is a smoker he or she is still likely to assess you negatively as a result of your smoking habit.

Many companies are initiating complete non-smoking policies in all company buildings which mean that if you are heavy smoker you are going find it very difficult to take regular cigarette breaks without looking weak and ineffectual to rest of the office.

Many smokers say that discriminating against smokers is wrong and illegal but at the end of the day there is almost nothing they can do to prove that they are being discriminated against, and since it has been shown that smokers are more likely to get sick and therefore to be less productive, employers feel justified in only hiring nonsmokers.

Some surveys have shown that investing in nonsmoking initiatives for companies could even boost their profits. If you are out of a job and you are still puffing away you should get your act in order right away!