My boss is forcing me to quit smoking.

Okay so I have been at my job for 9ish months.. I have successfully hidden that I smoke cigarettes because it is highly looked down upon in my office. (i work in a dr. office that offers smoking cessation programs) But other girls I work with are careless about it.. They don't really avoid smelling like smoke. The doctor that we work for is highly sensitive to smoke smells and other "fumes". Well today the office manager pulls me aside and says.. "Don't say anything to anyone but I wanted you to know this because it will affect your job. Dr. O has bee noticing the other girls smelling like smoke.. And I have to give them the choice of quitting or getting fired. I know you don't smoke but you work closely with them so I wanted you to be aware of the changes." She hasn't said anything to them yet, and it seems like she doesn't even know that I smoke. And I'm really not finding it a great idea to tell her. But the other girls do know I smoke, and if that ultimatum comes up, I'm sure they might not hesitate to throw me under the bus. I don't know if I should warn the two others, and ask them to keep quiet about my habit.. Or if I should keep my mouth shut as I was told.. And cross my fingers that I won't get tattled on? I obviously am working on quitting now that my job could be on the line over it.. But I don't know what I should do! Help!

As long as it's not affecting your work and you don't do it in the office, can they really fire you for that?

I wasn't aware you could get fired for being a smoker... legally anyways.

They can't fire you, they can tell you not to smoke on th eir property, but you can not be fired for smoking.

Is that even legal??

That's legal...?

Keep your mouth shut! Deny deny deny. If you're so discreet that the doc and his office manager have no idea you smoke, then how are the girls going to prove you do? It will just sound like they're trying to take you down with them.

I don't think they can legally do that  

Yes. Well according to multiple references on google.

I wouldn't tell them. Then you'll be the drama starter and that could get you fired. Show you are not trust worthy. The other girls don't need to stress either, because I don't think they can fire them over it.

I know they can here. Georgia, you can be fired for ANYTHING that isn't discriminatory. Smoking doesn't fall under race, age, appearance, etc. It's a choice to a degree and if the doctor doesn't want his office staff smoking since they SELL smoking cesation programs, he could do that legally in a state that's at will. You don't have a right to employment in every state.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Juggernog-aholic:</b>" As long as it's not affecting your work and you don't do it in the office, can they really fire you for that?"</blockquote>




Yes. If upon hiring they tell you it's a smoke free work place then it's totally legal.


OP I would keep your mouth shut and hope for the best!

Quoting Juggernog-aholic:" As long as it's not affecting your work and you don't do it in the office, can they really fire you for that?"

I think it depends on the state, but here - DH's employer will not hire smokers, or allow them. You can get fired for going against their policy, which includes no smoking. Of course, there are people who lie, and they have to get in their car and drive down the block to smoke. It's a very large office with tons of security (because the company itself is huge and only employees are allowed past a certain point - with an ID badge that scans them into the building, and their own security code), so security would notice if you were smoking anywhere near the building.

OP-If it were me, and it was a good job, I would quit smoking and try to keep my job. That's just me though. I would never give up a good employer so I could smoke.

And technically, being a smoker isn't protected under federal discrimination laws (such as discrimination for race, sexual preference, etc) so I believe it may actually be able to discriminate based on smoking in ANY State. I could be wrong on that, but I know it's legal in my State, at the least.

Quoting Blair Waldorf (SuperKink):" Keep your mouth shut! Deny deny deny. If you're so discreet that the doc and his office manager have ... [snip!] ... you smoke, then how are the girls going to prove you do? It will just sound like they're trying to take you down with them."

   

Idk what the employment laws are in Ohio and I don't have time to look it up, but in many states, you can get fired for any/no reason. In VA, where I live, the law is "at-will," which means that you can quit or get fired at any time for any reason as long as it isn't because you're gay or Jewish or whatever. And even if you DO get fired for that reason, the burden of proof is on you and employers always win.

So yes, you can get fired for being a smoker if your boss doesn't want smokers working there.

Why don't you just quit? I mean, it's not like there's any real benefit to smoking anyway.