Imagine a smoke-free workplace

Where does your company stand on the subject of vaping indoors? 

If you are an employer, do you allow workers to vape at their desks or have you introduced a new policy where e-cigarettes have been outlawed and you ask staff to vape outside?

Currently there are no laws that enforce a vaping ban indoors, but some UK businesses have taken the decision to ban workers from using e-cigarettes at their desks. Have they made the right decision though?

There’s a case to be argued in favour of e-cigs. 

Imagine if you had a workplace totally free from cigarette smoke, but where you allowed people to vape indoors.....

Or, say you introduced vaping breaks for people that wanted to quit cigarettes? 

This has got to be a better situation than having workers away from their desks, and your building, puffing away on cigarettes outdoors. How many company premises have you passed where a lone smoker, or a group even, were gathered at the entrance puffing away and thought about how this looks to visitors or passersby, or even how this might affect that business? Not to mention the discarded cigarette ends littering the area.

Supporting workers who want to vape could help you create a smoke-free workplace in the future.

Just think of the advantages of a smoke-free company....your business would be better off thanks to:

Improved business image

Most companies provide a smoking area where workers can take a quick smoke break. Often they try to conceal this fact, hiding the smoking area in a discreet area but as we said, in some instances this is not the case and workers have to officially leave the premises, but do not stray too far. They are outside, likely under your business signage, in the public eye.

Imagine again now how this looks to clients or customers who visit. All they see are staff members huddled together in a plume of smoke - it’s hardly the best image for your company.

No overflowing ashtrays

A finished cig needs snuffing out. Some smokers are courteous and they look for ashtrays to place their discarded butts but with all smoking concentrated to just one area provided ashtrays can quickly be filled and begin to overflow. 

No cigarette litter

Others aren’t quite as courteous though. They finish their cigarette and stub it out on the floor. The black carbon is ground in underfoot and stains the floor. The litter and detritus quickly builds into a mountain of discarded butts. Very soon others will follow suit. Who's unenviable job is it to clean this up?

No nasty smells

Even when smokers are courteous their smoking habit, even when a businesses provides outdoor ashtrays for designated smoking areas these areas look unsightly and it stinks as well. Non-smokers, and company visitors often have to pass them as they arrive and depart.

No cig stench

Have you ever sat next to somebody at work who has just popped out for a cig break? The chances are you can smell them before you see them, you’ll get a nice waft of their cig breath when they return to their duties. Your smoking colleagues aren't aware of it but the smell for non and ex-smokers is extremely unpleasant. It lingers for quite some time.

Say YES to vaping

Owners of e-cigarettes don’t have any of these problems. They might still need to pop out to vape (depending on workplace rules) but you’d never notice any nasty stench when they return to work. 

They haven't left mess or litter. 

They haven't made approaching your premises smell bad. At all.

Let staff vape at work, let them know you support it and this might just encourage a few more to quit smoking. 

This can only be a good thing for the workplace, the health of your workers and boost moral.