Pacific Cast Technologies, an investment caster in Albany, OR, has banned tobacco use on its premises. It’s not the first company to do this, and it won’t be the last. “We no longer allow tobacco use of any kind in our facility, neither in the plant, nor on its walkways, parking lots or access roads,” president Randy Turner stated in a release this week. “We have alerted our suppliers and customers to this new policy and asked them to support us by informing their employees, so all of our associates become aware we are tobacco-free.”

I guess the point of that second sentence is to alert drivers, sales representatives, and others who visit the plant that they’ll have to put out their smokes while at the site — and that’s fine; it’s PCT’s property. But, it seems like an unnecessary and gratuitous swipe at people who are innocent of any offense.

Let me be clear that I am not a smoker and never have been one. No one in my family is a smoker, for which I’m grateful. I don’t like the smells of tobacco smoke, and I recognize the specific costs of cigarettes and cigars can be quite high, diverting money that can be well used in other ways. I also believe evidence that smoking tobacco can be gateway to illegal drugs. And, of course, there are serious health risks attached to tobacco consumption, adding pain and sorrow to the financial costs for smokers and their loved ones.

Again, it’s the employer’s right to institute this policy, without explanation. It’s in the explanations, however, that the presumptions of employers (and many state legislatures) begin to reveal their agendas. “Our main goal is to provide an incentive for employees to lead a healthier lifestyle,” stated Bruce Wilmot, PCT’s human resources manager. “We provided employees with six months notice of the new policy.  Since most, if not all, tobacco users want to quit, we also offered cash reimbursement for employees who entered into tobacco-cessation programs.  It’s early in the process, but our transition to a tobacco-free environment seems to be going well.”  

PCT is just an example of a wider development here, and the advantages to employers are obvious — higher worker productivity, with no more frequent smoking breaks, and considerable savings anticipated in health-care costs if employees reduce their personal risk of serious illness. That PCT is willing to pay the employees to achieve this is all the evidence needed to conclude this.

A significant assumption has transpired there: that employees’ personal behavior is the purview of the employer. In many cases, having co-opted so much of the employees’ personal activity by way of technology, it’s reasonable that they would try to optimize their overall “performance.”

Remember, however, that smoking is legal, and it will remain so as long as the federal tobacco settlement of 1999 remains in place. It has to remain in place, or the states will forego all the revenue they claim from the sale of tobacco products. So, the efforts to stamp out smoking will be pursued in the spirit of “helping” the smoker, rather than regulating them (not that it’s possible to see much difference between the two.)

In other developments:
•  There was a time when I’d have been tempted to joke about a book that offers to diagnose stress in the workplace, and offers tips for alleviating it. Who doesn’t feel some stress, right?

I doubt, however, that there are very many workplaces that are not suffering from “stress”: there is greater pressure to succeed than ever in our memories, with fewer resources, fewer employees, and less time to do it. “Helping your organization manage excessive, chronic anxiety is your number one job,” according to Jeffrey A. Miller, author of The Anxious Organization, 2nd Edition: Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things. From what I can see, the author’s analysis of what happens when “natural chronic anxiety in an organization rises to an excessive level,” is an accurate depiction of companies that fail to balance their performance demands with resources and opportunities. I recommend reading it … if you have the time.

•  Makino, which designs and builds machine tools, has launched a weblog at its website, comment on technology, machine design, consumable use, and other topics related to EDM.

“It’s amazing the conversation this format has spawned,” said Jeff Kiszonas, EDM product manager for Makino and the main author of the blog. “We’re seeing many machinists and shop owners come to us, wanting a dialog on this topic. A blog is an effective way to fulfill that need.”