Employment Law Blog

Where There’s Smoke . . . You’re Fired!!

I am sure we are all aware that employers are having to find ways to deal with sharply escalating costs of providing medical coverage.  As reported in a recent news story, some employers are thinking “outside the box” (or should that be “outside the pack”?) and are refusing to hire and even terminating individuals who smoke—even those who smoke only away from the workplace.

This raises issues of discrimination, invasion of privacy, and, some would say, “big-brother” control.