Greg
11-23-2007, 02:27 PM
Taken from kmbc.com this AM.
What do you think?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- We all know about the debate over smoking in public places. Several cities have banned it in restaurants and bars. But now some employers are taking it a step further. They won't even hire smokers to work at their company.
KMBC's Jere Gish reported that when you fill out an application, there can be all kinds of questions. But when Julie Draper saw one that asked her if she used tobacco products, she answered truthfully that she was a smoker. Draper said she was stunned when she was told that kept her from getting the job.
"I usually sit with a smile on my face when I work," Draper said.
Draper's passion is making intricate fairy dolls that she sells on the Internet.
"It takes a long time to do the hands," Draper said.
But making dolls is not a full-time job. Draper is looking for work. She has experience doing clerical work at a hospital.
"I called Truman Medical Center for a job," Draper told Gish.
They told her to go online and fill out an application. That's when Draper encountered the question, asking her if she used tobacco products. She answered yes.
"I got an e-mail back a couple of days later and it said rejected and would not go any further because I was a smoker," Draper said. "I was kind of taken back by it and wasn't happy at all."
Since February 2006, Truman Medical Center no longer hires smokers, Gish reported. As a health care organization, hospital executives felt they should promote healthy habits.
The no-smoking policy is enforced. Gish said a hospital spokesperson told him that recently it was discovered that an employee was a smoker even though that person indicated on their application that they did not use tobacco products. The person is no longer employed at Truman Med.
Employees who started before February 2006 were grandfathered in. But new potential hires are out of luck.
"It's almost like profiling. It's not fair at all," Draper said. "When it comes to employment, that's really stepping over the boundary. There are a lot of people that do smoke and they need jobs."
Gish reported that he called several other hospitals around the metro and none had a policy of not hiring smokers. However, companies in other industries are doing it.
What do you think?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- We all know about the debate over smoking in public places. Several cities have banned it in restaurants and bars. But now some employers are taking it a step further. They won't even hire smokers to work at their company.
KMBC's Jere Gish reported that when you fill out an application, there can be all kinds of questions. But when Julie Draper saw one that asked her if she used tobacco products, she answered truthfully that she was a smoker. Draper said she was stunned when she was told that kept her from getting the job.
"I usually sit with a smile on my face when I work," Draper said.
Draper's passion is making intricate fairy dolls that she sells on the Internet.
"It takes a long time to do the hands," Draper said.
But making dolls is not a full-time job. Draper is looking for work. She has experience doing clerical work at a hospital.
"I called Truman Medical Center for a job," Draper told Gish.
They told her to go online and fill out an application. That's when Draper encountered the question, asking her if she used tobacco products. She answered yes.
"I got an e-mail back a couple of days later and it said rejected and would not go any further because I was a smoker," Draper said. "I was kind of taken back by it and wasn't happy at all."
Since February 2006, Truman Medical Center no longer hires smokers, Gish reported. As a health care organization, hospital executives felt they should promote healthy habits.
The no-smoking policy is enforced. Gish said a hospital spokesperson told him that recently it was discovered that an employee was a smoker even though that person indicated on their application that they did not use tobacco products. The person is no longer employed at Truman Med.
Employees who started before February 2006 were grandfathered in. But new potential hires are out of luck.
"It's almost like profiling. It's not fair at all," Draper said. "When it comes to employment, that's really stepping over the boundary. There are a lot of people that do smoke and they need jobs."
Gish reported that he called several other hospitals around the metro and none had a policy of not hiring smokers. However, companies in other industries are doing it.