The assistant director at the library where I work takes frequent smoke breaks outside. My desk is the closest to the back door. His smoke breaks would be fine if he would go all the way outside and close the door. Instead, he'll stand outside, with the door open, and take his smoke breaks. Sometimes this is because he's talking to someone standing inside, and sometimes he just does it. I don't know why. Maybe he's under the delusion that the smoke goes wherever he blows it and not back inside the building?
I'm not allergic to smoke, but it makes me feel sick and I just HATE the smell. I work at a state institution, and it is against the law to smoke in the buildings--I think it's against the law to smoke with the doors open so the smoke can come in, too.
The problem is, he's much higher up in the chain of command. There's me at the bottom, my supervisor who is the head librarian of her department, then him as assistant director, then the director of the library. The director of the library is new, and she's really nice.
The smoking guy is not known for being a nice guy. He's the one who hates parties and fun and made this a lot less fun place to work (according to everyone else--I wasn't here before him). He's nice enough to make conversation and stuff even with me, but I am NOT wanting to confront him myself about the smoking problem.
As I was sitting here, a coworker of mine who sits across the room from me noticed the smoke smell. We are both bothered by it.
I'm not sure what to do. Do I talk to the director? I think I might talk to my supervisor, but I'm not sure she will do anything about it either. Or do I just ignore it? That seems to be what everyone else on my level does.
I just heard my coworker say to her supervisor/librarian: It doesn't do any good to have a smoke free building if [name] is going to smoke with the back door open.
And HER supervisor hasn't done anything about it, and she works closely with MY supervisor.
Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :
You might want to start with your supervisor and see what she says. At least give her the chance to do something about it. You should say something though, most likely he does it because no one says anything about it
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
I think in New York the law is that you need to be 20 feet from the entrance, though I don't think it was ever enforced.
I would say something. I cannot STAND cigarette smoke. I think its the rudest thing in the world to pollute the air someone else is breathing with your toxic chemicals! I would rather someone go take a dump in my car than blow smoke in my face (well, not quite, but its close).
So I would mention my concern to the offender, and then if he doesn't stop, I would bring the concern to his boss. I know it might not be that simple for you, but for me there would be no question.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
If no one wants to confront him, see if you can get them to install one of those alarms that goes off when the door is held open for 15 seconds or more.
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
That makes me so angry!
Now, your workplace probably has some sort of handbook that tells you the chain of command that you should use to file complaints. Always try that first. Just so you can say you followed the rules. Then, when they ignore you, go to his boss. That should get his attention.
Finally, if all else fails, contact an agressive smoke-free workplace organization.
You can also make signs for the door that remind him to close the door and the law that applies, with your company's permission, of course.
*holds fist in air* You can do it! Stand up for non-smokers' rights!
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
My vote is to do the difficult and talk to him about it but it might be fun to think up *hints* to drop:
-spray a can of Oust at the door everytime he comes back in. -wear a surgical mask, only when he comes back in. Or obviously pull it out when he passes your desk and leave it on until he comes back in. -"drop" a package of Nicorette at his feet -develop a nasty, hacking cough
Okay, that's all I could think of and it wasn't as "fun" as I thought. Good luck to you with this tricky situation.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I'm in Georgia, if it matters.
Yeah, it upsets me, too. I'm waiting for a good time to talk to my supervisor, although I am nervous about it. I'm trying to think of how to word it so that she knows I want something done about it instead of thinking I'm just complaining not expecting anything. At the same time, I don't want to seem demanding and pushy.
I have a great supervisor, by the way.
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
How about explaining to her just as you explained to us (it didn't seem unreasonable) that while you're not allergic to the smoke, it makes you feel ill and you don't like it. You could ask her what she would recommend happening to get things to change without causing contention in the work place.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I think it's only right and fair to go to the smoker first and say, politely as sweetbaboo has said, that you are bothered and would he please go further away from the door when he smokes. Only if he refuses should you then go up the proper chain and follow your complaint procedure.
He may very well not know it bothers you and if you tell him he might be apologetic and immediately change his habits. No sense in getting his supervisor involved until you give him a chance to do the right thing first.
Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :
If it were just a peer I would certainly bite the bullet and confront him but in this case, since he is much higher on the food chain, I would write an anonymous letter stating that it bothers several people in the office and leave it on his desk. If it continues, then confront him and/or do the chain of command thing.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
I'm with Belle. A simple, polite request would be my first step. A formal complaint seems a bit harsh without first making sure he knows it's a problem.
Posted by WntrMute (Member # 7556) on :
I would suggest three phases, each lasting about a week or two.
Phase one, buy a couple gun magazines. Cut out pictures of the most lethally ugly-looking guns you can find, and frame them. If you can do calligraphy, write in a cutesie name for each gun. Boopsie is a good name for a .45 semi-automatic, in my experience.
Phase two, mutter to yourself constantly. Make a point of always muttering. Only stop when he walks by. Glare. This will be more effective if you allow your appearance to grow increasingly dishevelled.
Phase three, (if you haven't yet been called in for gentle inquiries as to whether there are any problems at home or in your life that you may need help with) buy a carton of those pine-tree car deoderizers. Hang them all up in your work area. Be sure to hang a couple on the door. If you are asked why you are doing this, just say Boopsie (or whichever gun got the cutesiest name) wanted you to (unless, of course, you are asked this by your supervisor in the course of those gentle inquiries I mentioned before).
After phase three, you will be certain to receive those gentle inquiries, at which point you can explain the situation to your supervisor. If the meeting goes well, exclaim, "Boopsie will be so pleased!" Otherwise, well, you know Boopsie will be very, very unhappy. Feel free to explain Boopsie's feelings on the matter.
If you can successfully complete this program, not only will you have solved this immediate problem but you will also be able to do and get away with nearly anything in your office.
Enjoy.
(Please note: neither Hatrack.com nor Orson Scott Card nor the author of this post nor any other related individuals or agencies can be held in any way liable for any loss of employment, prison sentences, and/or periods of confinement in a psychiatric institution. Follow these instructions at your own risk. Actual ownership of firearms may be restricted in your locality. You are at all times bound to understand and follow all local, state, and federal laws, especially those pertaining to workforce safety. If you have any questions, consult with a law enforcement officer or with a lawyer. Nothing in this post should be construed as a guarranty, instruction, or divine revelation. Dogs cannot talk. If at any time you think a dog is talking to you, please seek medical attention immediately.)
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
quote:Originally posted by Katarain: I'm in Georgia, if it matters.
It matters because it's December and I'm in Minnesota so when I was picturing the situation I had a hard time understanding how anyone could be inside near the open door without yelling at him to close it... and this had nothing to do with the cigarrate smoke.
--Enigmatic
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
Well, if Katarain is anything like me, I have a difficult time confronting my superiors about them breaking office policy. I don't think she needs to be the one responsible for telling this guy he's breaking the rules. That's what a boss is for. This isn't a personal problem, if it were, I'd say, yeah, try to talk to him.
Posted by Historian (Member # 8858) on :
Video evidence from hidden cameras anonymously placed with the guilty party's boss, often works wonders...
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I haven't done anything yet. Too chicken, I guess.
And it's been freezing here. Sometimes it's the cold that makes me the angriest.
There's jack-hammering going on in the basement, pretty much right below my desk, and that doesn't put me in a good mood either. And sometimes they set off the fire alarms, which means we have to stand in the cold, and sometimes they fill the work area with fumes and dust and bad smells.
I get upset whenever anybody leaves the door open for too long, but usually it's delivery people who are bringing in a lot of stuff. So there's not much to do to prevent that.
And the environmental controls are not in this building, so often we freeze in the summertime, and are burnt up during the winter. Who the idiot is who is running the thermostat, I don't know. Nobody will tell me, probably because I'd cause bodily harm. So sometimes we prop open the door purposely, to get a freezing cold breeze to cool off everyone else. I'm close enough to the door that I freeze. The things I put up with for my coworkers...
To top it all off, to save energy, the university sent around an email saying that all thermostats are going to be set to 68 in winter, and 78 in summer. Sure. That'd be great. How about you do that now and stop roasting us? But I'm also near huge drafty windows... so if the heat isn't adequate, I'll freeze anyway, and they don't want us to use space heaters without probably complicated permission.
I love this place. Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Is it possible to ask to have your desk moved? You can say that being so close to the door is interfering with your work. Perhaps you can also add that you are susceptable to drafts and the cold air is making you sick. (Prepare for this argument by adorning your desk with boxes of Kleenex, cough syrup, aspirin, and maybe a thermometer. Take more sick days. Infect some of your co-workers -- like Mr. Assistant Director. That'll motivate people to keep you out of the way of the draft.)
At my office, I was sitting right by the window, but the sunlight was bothering me (actually making me ill. I can't stand the sunlight). I asked the boss to have my desk moved to a nice dark corner because the sunlight was making me sick. She moved me.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Any chance you could move to a different desk?
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Only place I could move to would be in the middle of the room somewhere. Very exposed. I like being in this little corner. (Easier to check hatrack, for one.)
I can survive, I suppose. I'm hoping to move to another state sometime next year anyway.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
What's that Fido? Pine-scent makes you nauseous? Hang up cherry-flavor instead? No Fido. I can't do that. No. It is wrong......Heaven? Mr. Hat commands it? Yes. Yes. Indeed. TiddlyWimply is under my bed. Ok. You, I can explain/ignore. There are no talking dogs, but I dare not disobey Mr. Hat.
If only WntrMute had warned about Mr. Hat! Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Katarain, I can understand liking being off in a less exposed area of the office. I'd likely feel the same way.
Lem, why would I not be surprised if you started addressing Hubert Cumberdale, telling him that he tasted of soot and poo?
Posted by Ophelia (Member # 653) on :
quote:and they don't want us to use space heaters without probably complicated permission
That's crappy. My office (also in Georgia) was kind enough to order me a space heater completely out of the blue in the middle of October. They were right when they said I'd need it in the winter, though--I'm right by the front door, and anytime anyone opens it gusts of wind blow in my face.
I really like my space heater.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Definitely approach him politely first. It doesn't matter what the rules are, or whether it's supposed to be a "personal problem" or not - a polite request before a formal complaint is the right thing to do.
You can bet your socks that if you filed a formal complaint, he'd find out who it was, and if he's the kind of person you've described here, your working life could very easily become a living hell.
Posted by WntrMute (Member # 7556) on :
quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: Definitely approach him politely first. It doesn't matter what the rules are, or whether it's supposed to be a "personal problem" or not - a polite request before a formal complaint is the right thing to do.
You can bet your socks that if you filed a formal complaint, he'd find out who it was, and if he's the kind of person you've described here, your working life could very easily become a living hell.
Piffle. This is simply not a problem at all if you simply follow my simple plan, conveniently located up a few posts.
....Oh, and by the way, Boopsie says, "Hi."
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: Lem, why would I not be surprised if you started addressing Hubert Cumberdale, telling him that he tasted of soot and poo?
Salad Fingers rocks!
I'd probably be too chicken for a direct confrontation too. If it were me, I'd probably succumb to the siren lure of gossip and talk about him behind his back - or at least sound out my coworkers to see how many of them are also bothered, thereby assessing my support base. Then I'd hope that someone else would take up the burden of leadership and do the actual confronting. Or perhaps come in with a fake prescription for an asthma inhaler?
A lot of the other advice on here sounds pretty good. Good luck!
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This is simply not a problem at all if you simply follow my simple plan, conveniently located up a few posts.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Salad Fingers rocks!