Who’s Your Nanny?

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/who_is_your_nanny_20110219/

This week a front page story in The New York Times reported about the trend of employers rejecting job applicants who smoke.

Corporations are pursuing more intrusive engagement with the personal lives of employees. The first employer decision—to hire or not—may depend on the personal habits and lifestyle of an applicant that have no demonstrated relationship to job performance. The Times article reports:

More hospitals and medical businesses in many states are adopting strict policies that make smoking a reason to turn away job applicants, saying they want to increase worker productivity, reduce health care costs and encourage healthier living. … The new rules essentially treat cigarettes like an illegal narcotic. Applications now explicitly warn of “tobacco-free hiring,” job seekers must submit to urine tests for nicotine and new employees caught smoking face termination.

At the same time, over the past few months tea party leaders such as Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin have criticized Michelle Obama, her husband and his alleged nanny-state administration for telling parents what their kids should eat, how much they should exercise and whether they should sit for hours each day watching TV.

More at the link --

[KurtNYC]

1. we have a Nanny State now, a Corporate Nanny State

Btw, Coming soon... the end of paper money (bc then they can tax and control EVERY transaction).

[ejpoeta]

2. it's only ok if business does it. but i don't think anyone should be able to

base hiring on your habits. your personal life should be none of their business. smoking is still legal, so they should not be able to discriminate. illegal substances are different.... but i still think employers should not be able to stick their nose in your personal life.

[aquart]

3. I would be a lot richer now if they'd done this forty years ago.

I lost a lotta jobs because I couldn't be in a smoke-filled room. Had one puffer tell me I was handicapped because of it.

Other people's smoking cost me the work I trained for, and over a hundred thousand in income. Which is low-balling it.

Do smokers feel persecuted now? HOW DOES IT FEEL, YOU SELFISH, ADDICTED BASTARDS?