Is There A Link Between Youth Unemployment and Smoking?
It is being reported that youth unemployment will be announced at a record level today.
As I walk around London, it would appear that I see more young people smoking, than people say over thirty. Many appear to gather for fags on street corners and it would appear that some don’t have jobs.
So are employers, saying that if you smoke, then we won’t employ you?
If I had a business, then I certainly wouldn’t employ anybody who smoked. After all, there is a very good choice of people out there.
The Anonymous Widower 
As an ex-employer (I am now retired) I can confirm that it is better to employ non-smokers. Smokers take regular smoking breaks and so work less hours, They also interrupt each other, as when they for a break, they invite other smokers to go with them. Then there is the smell of the cigarettes that hangs around on their clothes, and is not popular with the majority who don’t smoke. Finally, there is the increased level of sickness resulting from smoking that is a cost to the business, and to those non-smoking employees who have to fill-in for them. I always had a no-smoking policy and that included the landscaped areas around the building. It was made it clear to all potential employees that this was the case. A number of new employees took the opportunity to give up! My advice to anyone who wants a job is; put yourself in the position of the employer and think about what they want from potential employees. Then adjust your looks, behavior, and attitudes to suit. Job offers will follow.
Comment by John Wright | November 16, 2011 |
We were virtually the same in Meitier. The only employee of the company who was a heavy smoker died of lung cancer.
The local Job Centre is at the far end of my road. Those that hang around outside the building with a cigarette in one hand and a can of Stella in the other, would not be high on my list of potential employees. Perhaps one thing we could do is make say 50 metres from all Job Centres a smoke-free zone.
Comment by AnonW | November 16, 2011 |