Thou Shalt Not Smoke

In the newsroom of the Denver Post, reporters and editors cope with a company ban on smoking by gnawing on licorice roots and chewing on unlit cigars. Broward Davis & Associates, a surveying and consulting firm in Tallahassee, ) refuses to hire anyone who smokes. New England Telephone employees can take a puff in only half the company's rest rooms, and workers at United Technologies' Hartford headquarters must refrain from lighting up in any public work area.

As corporate America comes to terms with the antismoking fervor that has gripped much of the public, more and more firms are regulating the use of tobacco in the workplace. According to a study by the Bureau of National Affairs, about 35% of all U.S. companies restrict smoking (only 2% ban it outright), and an additional 20% are studying the issue. In many cases, companies have no choice: 17 states and hundreds of localities outlaw smoking in offices and other workplaces. The Surgeon General's report last year asserting that smokers create health risks for nearby nonsmokers has encouraged companies to promote smoke-free work environments. Finally, firms are increasingly aware of the cost of having smokers on staff: higher insurance expenses and increased absenteeism.

Most companies try to accommodate their nonsmoking workers without alienating their tobacco-dependent colleagues. Many firms begin to formulate a policy by polling their staffs. When New England Telephone discovered that 70% of its 27,000 employees did not smoke, it decided to take a strong stand against tobacco. Smoking is now permitted only in certain hallways and rest rooms and in a small section of the cafeteria. Eastman Kodak has democratized the decision-making process. Employees vote on whether common work areas should be smoke-free. While smoking is generally banned in conference rooms, exceptions can be made if there are no objections from anyone present.

A company's policy often reflects its top executive's personal attitude toward smoking. Says Cynthia Ferguson, acting executive director of the American Lung Association: "We see this very clearly. Management support means everything." Ted Phillips, chairman of the New England, a Boston-based insurance company, is an ex-smoker who strongly believes smoking on the job should be limited to private offices in order to safeguard the health of all workers. That is precisely the policy of his firm. At Frosty Acres Brands, a Georgia canned-goods packager, a smoking ban is unlikely because President Louis Dell smokes almost two packs a day. But Dell acknowledges that the rights of nonsmokers should be protected. As a result, smoking is not allowed in the firm's executive conference room, and employees are free to ban smoking in their private offices.