Sean Riley 2/19/14 Organizational behavior Ethics Paper- WEYCO Smoking Section 1

I believe that it is unethical for a company to dictate whether to hire an employee if he/she is a smoker or engages in unhealthy behaviors. It is not up to your employer what you do in your free time or what makes you feel good. While not specifically stated in any laws people should have the right to choose whether or not they smoke based on freedoms which everyone in America enjoys. I will admit that the designation of smoking areas is a valid prevention for people who do not smoke but no one should have the power to tell you that you cannot smoke.1 While some people dont think that attitude has anything to do with the amount of work people get done in reality it does. There are 3 main components that make up someones attitude; affective component, cognitive component and the behavioral component.2 Someone can have a bad attitude about work if they are told that they are not allowed to smoke. This idea ties into perceived organizational support. Some people may take this as the company is trying to control all of the aspects of their life and make them a perfect worker. In this situation the person in question could be less creative and feel that they must fit a strict guide line of what the company expects from them. Another factor with peoples attitude is that if someone knows that they are not able to smoke while working for a certain company they may

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http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-syn-constitution-2008_0.pdf https://lms.rpi.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2F execute%2Fcontent%2Ffile%3Fcmd%3Dview%26content_id%3D_85267_1%26course_id%3D_940_1% 26framesetWrapped%3Dtrue

view works as an over baring power and not enjoy going to work which could make them see work as a chore that must be done instead of being excited to go into work. The last point ties into job satisfaction. If someone is not excited about the work they will not get satisfaction out of doing it. Job satisfaction can be broken down into a few simple categories such as the nature of work, supervision, present pay, promotion opportunities, and relations with coworkers. If any of these categories are not viewed in a good light the person would not enjoy their job which leads to decreased productivity and can make sloppy and unprofessional work. Other big factors that can contribute to cigarettes and people in the work place are mood and behavior. While cigarette smoke is not directly tied to either of these things it can in some cases improve both. Most people feel a sense of calm feelings and relaxation when smoking. This can help people deal with stress in high intensity situations. While there are other healthier options for this some people just prefer to smoke instead. Another thing that cigarettes provide is a short break from work time. While I understand that it is not in the companys best interest to have people go out and smoke every hour it can allow employees time to themselves and time to collect their thought. An ethical frame work that helps to supports my claims individual rights. This can be defined as Personal standards and values that determine how people view their responsibilities to others and how they should act in situations when their own self-interests are at stake3. This frame work shows that people are the ones that should be able to decide what they can or cannot do
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https://lms.rpi.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-86021-dt-content-rid280753_1/courses/1401_MGMT_4850_02/Ethics%20and%20social%20responsibility.pdf

in situations base on their own views and morals. If someone wants to smoke because they are stressed out and the way that they know how to do this is to smoke then by all means they should be able to do so. An ethical framework that does not directly help but can be used to reach a compromise in this situation is the utilitarian rule. This is defined as An ethical decision is a decision that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. While I state d that it is unethical to not hire people if they smoke I think this framework can apply and lead to a compromise which is already in place. I am talking and smoking areas. In the definition is says the greatest good for the greatest number of people this can be interpreted to mean that second hand smoke can harm people so there should be no smoking. Another way to interpret this is that if a smoking area is implemented the people that do not choose to smoke can simply avoid the smoking areas and not be effected by other peoples personal choices. There are a few other factors to consider about people smoking. The first is that smokers pay very high taxes on cigarettes that can be considered too high to be fair. Secondly the harm of smoking can be reduced by simply educating people about the effects instead of trying to dictate what they do. Lastly punishing smokers for their own good is ridiculous statement since people are free to choose to do many other possibly harmful things to their bodys without such brash claims.4

http://heartland.org/ideas/smokers-rights

Overall while I do believe that smoking can cause serious health issues I think it is for people to decide on their own. If it helps them get through the day and be productive at work who are we to tell them that they cant. After all cigarettes are still legal commodities in all 50 states.