| Responses | Date | Author |
Nicky,
We treat E-Cigarettes in just the same way as Cigarettes. Our Policy is that delegates can only smoke during their dinner break away from the building.
Kindest Regards, Anne-Marie |
| 03/09/2015 | Previous |
Hi Nicky,
I have come across this recentlly myself. As I work for a family run company that's a bit less stringent than a lot of the more corporate companies on such matters, and like you we had no specific policy on this either. in the end, I decided to enforce a no e-cigarette policy, during training (i.e it is an informal 'policy' in the training room,) as I wouldn't allow a smoker of tobacco to just light up during a session! I have found the best ways to handle the situation is to agree some ground rules at the beginning of the course and ensure there are regular breaks throughout the day to allow all Vapers and smokers get their fix! I'm a smoker myself so I understand cravings but keeping the delegates engaged, changing the room dynamics and having plenty of water for delegates to drink can all help keep their minds focussed!
Hope this helps |
| 03/09/2015 | Becky |
Hello Nicky,
I work in an NHS Hospital Trust, our policy for smoking has been extended to include e-cigarettes and both are treated the same (we are a smoke-free site). I appreciate that our approach may seem harsh but it supports trainers in fulfilling their duty of care to protect all delegates from harm (at least while there is a query over whether e-cigarettes are/are not harmful!).
Thanks, Emma
|
| 02/09/2015 | Emma |
|
Everywhere I work e-cigarettes are treated the same as regular cigarettes. |
| 02/09/2015 | John |
Hi Nicky
My view is that it shouldnt be allowed. I am fairly easy going in the training room providing sustinence and encouraging people to get drinks etc where not provided but I think this for me is the same as using a mobile, off and out the way. Its an unecessary distraction. I would position it at the beginning of sessions as part of the domestics/housekeeping explaining that smoking/vaping breaks will be provided where possible during the session, but that it is a no smoking / vaping session. We don't have any formal policy at this time but I think that vaping should be treated the same as smoking particularly becuase nobody knows at this time whether there is any impact on passive vaping!
Jo |
| 02/09/2015 | Jo |
Hi Nicky,
We had this issue last year and decided to have the same policy for e-cigarettes as we do for conventional cigarettes. if anyone comments regarding the fact that there is no health implication, we go down the line of it being distracting in the same way we dont permit eating in class. We include it in induction training as part of company policy.
Regards Jayne |
| 02/09/2015 | Previous |
Hi Nicky,
We have classified smoking e-cigarettes the same as ordinary cigarettes so everyone has to leave the site to smoke during the breaks in the training event. We did have people using them at their desks when they were first introduced and this offended people as they thought they were smoking - hence the decision to treat all cigarettes the same. Hope that helps Diane |
| 02/09/2015 | Diane |
Thank everyone! I'm with you Zoe (ex-NHS, and I just couldn't see how people would feel that's OK). But they were a group of more 'manual' staff in a large organisation. Thanks Matt - that's really useful to know that it may be specifically covered by the organisations smoking policy.
I think it is something we'll include in our set-up for open courses from now on - but when we're on a client's premises I think we do need to be congruent with their policies.
Really appreciate you all taking the time to share your thoughts! |
| 02/09/2015 | Nicky |
Hi Nicky,
I've never experienced this myself but I would treat an e-cigarette the same as a real cigarette and wouldn't expect people to use them in a training session. As I work for an NHS Trust it might be slightly different in that all of our sites are non smoking so our staff tend to apply this policy to e-cigs too and just go off site to smoke them during their breaks/lunchtime.
Maybe set out the stall right at the start of the training session in 'housekeeping' that people should only use them during break times.
Thanks, Zoe. |
| 02/09/2015 | Previous |
Hello,
I have never came across it myself but definitely not comfortable with it. I would make sure you add something into your set up around when breaks are and that it includes having a break for cigarettes and e-cigarettes. You wouldn't allow someone to have a glass of wine in your classroom.
Regards Karen |
| 02/09/2015 | Karen |
Hi Nicky,
We as an organisation use extrenal training providers. We had exactly the same situation arise a couple of months ago. This was reported to me and was duly investigated. After speaking to our HR department, it was actually a breach of the organisations smoking policy, the policy had been ammended shortly before to define e-cigarettes as smoking. If this training session was for a customer them I would report it back to them. I hope this helps.
Matt |
| 02/09/2015 | Previous |