It has started here.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/115844769.html
SEATTLE -- Want the job? Kick the habit.
That's the word from one of the largest private employers in Western Washington.
Franciscan Health System, which employs 8,100 people in three counties, said Thursday it is implementing a nicotine-free hiring policy starting March 1.
"We are an organization that's all about creating healthier communities, and so we are going to walk the talk, " said Dr. Cliff Robertson, Franciscan's chief operating officer. "We're going to stand up and lead as health care providers and say, 'We shouldn't be smoking.'"
The news stunned Spanaway resident Eric Williams, a Bates Technical College graduate currently looking for work. Unemployed for two years and desperately in need of a job, Williams was partially through a job application with Franciscan Thursday when he suddenly stopped.
"I came across question number six that said, 'If you have nicotine in your system as of March 1, you will not be considered for employment at that company,'" said Williams, a smoker. "Cigarettes are legal, so why are we getting tested for nicotine when there's, like, a lot of other things we could be testing for?"
That's the same question posed by Lindsay Halm, a Seattle employment law attorney.
"Where does it stop? If an employer is allowed to screen applicants based on a legal activity like smoking, what's next?" Halm asked. "There are many things that we do that aren't necessarily the most healthy choices, but are nevertheless private decisions that we make at home, on the weekends, at night."
Halm pointed out that many American leaders in history - scientist Albert Einstein and President Barack Obama, for example - would be excluded from certain jobs under these regulations.
"My concern is the slippery slope," she added. "If it's regulating smoking, where does it end? What if you have fast food for lunch? Can your employer tell you you're no longer allowed to eat that food because it's bad for you?"
"A big difference is that you can choose to smoke but we all have to eat to live," Robertson countered. "Although there is a growing body of evidence that being overweight is hazardous to your health, it's nowhere near as conclusive as the data around smoking.
"While it is their right and we fully respect and acknowledge that, we believe that decisions have consequences, so when someone chooses to smoke, the consequence of that decision is they are negatively impacting their health."
The nicotine-free hiring policy, health advocates say, represents a growing trend among employers around the country, especially health care centers.
Franciscan - whose facilities include St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, and St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor - is the first member of the Washington State Hospital Association to require job applicants to be nicotine-free.
While a positive test for nicotine will eliminate candidates from consideration, Robertson said, they will be able to reapply in six months. Current employees who smoke will be grandfathered in under the old policy, and will not have to undergo nicotine screening.
Williams, who smokes about five cigarettes a day, says he is discouraged by Franciscan's new hiring policy but will continue to apply for jobs.
"I'm a hard worker," he said. "Really, I'm a hard worker."
"If I'm a viable candidate for the position, I should not be denied, you know, the right to be employed because I smoke."
That's the word from one of the largest private employers in Western Washington.
Franciscan Health System, which employs 8,100 people in three counties, said Thursday it is implementing a nicotine-free hiring policy starting March 1.
"We are an organization that's all about creating healthier communities, and so we are going to walk the talk, " said Dr. Cliff Robertson, Franciscan's chief operating officer. "We're going to stand up and lead as health care providers and say, 'We shouldn't be smoking.'"
The news stunned Spanaway resident Eric Williams, a Bates Technical College graduate currently looking for work. Unemployed for two years and desperately in need of a job, Williams was partially through a job application with Franciscan Thursday when he suddenly stopped.
"I came across question number six that said, 'If you have nicotine in your system as of March 1, you will not be considered for employment at that company,'" said Williams, a smoker. "Cigarettes are legal, so why are we getting tested for nicotine when there's, like, a lot of other things we could be testing for?"
That's the same question posed by Lindsay Halm, a Seattle employment law attorney.
"Where does it stop? If an employer is allowed to screen applicants based on a legal activity like smoking, what's next?" Halm asked. "There are many things that we do that aren't necessarily the most healthy choices, but are nevertheless private decisions that we make at home, on the weekends, at night."
Halm pointed out that many American leaders in history - scientist Albert Einstein and President Barack Obama, for example - would be excluded from certain jobs under these regulations.
"My concern is the slippery slope," she added. "If it's regulating smoking, where does it end? What if you have fast food for lunch? Can your employer tell you you're no longer allowed to eat that food because it's bad for you?"
"A big difference is that you can choose to smoke but we all have to eat to live," Robertson countered. "Although there is a growing body of evidence that being overweight is hazardous to your health, it's nowhere near as conclusive as the data around smoking.
"While it is their right and we fully respect and acknowledge that, we believe that decisions have consequences, so when someone chooses to smoke, the consequence of that decision is they are negatively impacting their health."
The nicotine-free hiring policy, health advocates say, represents a growing trend among employers around the country, especially health care centers.
Franciscan - whose facilities include St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, and St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor - is the first member of the Washington State Hospital Association to require job applicants to be nicotine-free.
While a positive test for nicotine will eliminate candidates from consideration, Robertson said, they will be able to reapply in six months. Current employees who smoke will be grandfathered in under the old policy, and will not have to undergo nicotine screening.
Williams, who smokes about five cigarettes a day, says he is discouraged by Franciscan's new hiring policy but will continue to apply for jobs.
"I'm a hard worker," he said. "Really, I'm a hard worker."
"If I'm a viable candidate for the position, I should not be denied, you know, the right to be employed because I smoke."
Comment