Getting fired for being fat or smoking is becoming reality

[imported_Shivetya]

If you?re in love with unhealthy foods or other unhealthy things such as smoking you may just find yourself out of a job. A sweeping trend is creeping up on America through employers and insurance companies. The cat is out of the bag, if you?re a smoker you have a target on your head for being unhealthy and are at risk of losing your job or paying steep monthly fines and penalties.


I support this. Why? Because its not a right to have a job. You have to earn it. If an employer wants healthy employees why should they not have that right? What right is it of yours to impose your unhealthy lifestyle on an employer, LET ALONE fellow employees?


I guess in the future these people will seek government protection and get it. Can you imagine the audacity, selfishness, that will occur when these people petition Congressmen for protection. Can you imagine the insult to the rest of us when it happens? We will not only be forced to pay their medical bills but suffer through every associated illness they bring along.

I can see it now, indirect support of smoking by the government. Then again we already have it don't we?

 

[jonks]

Easily solved. Just manufacture cigarettes with the Bill of Rights on them. Then firing them for smoking becomes a 1st amendment issue. "What, you don't like that I'm burning the Constitution eh? Firing me for expressing my rights! We'll see about that!"

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Shivetya
If you?re in love with unhealthy foods or other unhealthy things such as smoking you may just find yourself out of a job. A sweeping trend is creeping up on America through employers and insurance companies. The cat is out of the bag, if you?re a smoker you have a target on your head for being unhealthy and are at risk of losing your job or paying steep monthly fines and penalties.


I support this. Why? Because its not a right to have a job. You have to earn it. If an employer wants healthy employees why should they not have that right? What right is it of yours to impose your unhealthy lifestyle on an employer, LET ALONE fellow employees?


I guess in the future these people will seek government protection and get it. Can you imagine the audacity, selfishness, that will occur when these people petition Congressmen for protection. Can you imagine the insult to the rest of us when it happens? We will not only be forced to pay their medical bills but suffer through every associated illness they bring along.

I can see it now, indirect support of smoking by the government. Then again we already have it don't we?

So you think that employers should be able to fire people with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

 

[KMFJD]

Well according to the OP they don't have a right to their job, they must earn it, and how could they earn the right to their job if they are sick?

/sarcasm

 

[NaughtyGeek]

I hope you get cancer and your freaking employer fires you for it.

Employer: Well Mr. Shivetya, cancer doesn't just happen. You must have done something or lived somewhere that caused you to get this cancer and our company only employs healthy individuals. Plus, I see you ate a cheeseburger for lunch last week. You know our company only approves of a pure vegetarian diet. I'm sorry, but your health care can no longer be this companies responsibility since you have gotten sick. Good luck with that though.

To approve of a company having the right to dictate the lifestyle of their employees is morally reprehensible and you sir should find a country with a government that will make those dreams of dictatorship come true for you. I mean, why don't we go ahead and fire all the Christians while we're at it since they are more prone to be attacked by a Muslim terrorist than another Muslim. You and your ethics need to relocate. This is a country where we're supposed to be able to make our own decisions good or bad and a lot of great men died defending that ideal.

 

[OutHouse]

OP i agree with you many things but this one i do not.

 

[alchemize]

White men should support this. Drinking and getting fat is their best way to get into a protected class (without being gay). Then everyone can be part of a protected class.

 

[teclis1023]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
So you think that employers should be able to fire people with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

I think the issue focuses more on the people who continue to put their lives in danger, which actually makes sense.

I'm not going to hesitate hiring a woman who lives a healthy life style, but is then afflicted with Breast Cancer. Unfortunately, these things happen, but there's little she can do to avoid this.

I am going to hesitate hiring an obese man who smokes, because he's continuing to put his life in danger, and increasingly so. Because of his life choices, he becomes an increased liability, and we can assume that statistically, he is more likely to cause serious financial stress on my company if we need to support him as he goes to the hospital for a heart-attack or lung cancer.

Think of it like car insurance - the more expensive and fast a car is, the more money it is to insure. The younger the driver, the more expensive it is to insure. Simply put, this makes sense from a logical standpoint, as younger drivers tend to speed more and crash more, and faster, more expensive cars cost more to repair in the event of an accident.

I'm not saying I would support this type of policy in a business model, but I certainly understand it. If you keep putting yourself in danger, why would someone want to cover you under the same health care policy that everyone else is on?

Perhaps instead of denying their employment, have separate health plans....I dunno.

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: NaughtyGeek
Employer: Well Mr. Shivetya, cancer doesn't just happen. You must have done something or lived somewhere that caused you to get this cancer

In a case of smoking, it IS totally the person's choice. I'm uncertain on the weight issue.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: NaughtyGeek
Employer: Well Mr. Shivetya, cancer doesn't just happen. You must have done something or lived somewhere that caused you to get this cancer

In a case of smoking, it IS totally the person's choice. I'm uncertain on the weight issue.

Posting in this forum is probably hazardous to your health.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: NaughtyGeek
I hope you get cancer and your freaking employer fires you for it.

Employer: Well Mr. Shivetya, cancer doesn't just happen. You must have done something or lived somewhere that caused you to get this cancer and our company only employs healthy individuals. Plus, I see you ate a cheeseburger for lunch last week. You know our company only approves of a pure vegetarian diet. I'm sorry, but your health care can no longer be this companies responsibility since you have gotten sick. Good luck with that though.

To approve of a company having the right to dictate the lifestyle of their employees is morally reprehensible and you sir should find a country with a government that will make those dreams of dictatorship come true for you.

I mean, why don't we go ahead and fire all the Christians while we're at it since they are more prone to be attacked by a Muslim terrorist than another Muslim.

You and your ethics need to relocate.

This is a country where we're supposed to be able to make our own decisions good or bad and a lot of great men died defending that ideal.

Welcome to P&N

Thank you for your post :thumbsup:

 

[Fern]

Having Libertarian/lassaise faire (SP?) leanings, I could normally agree with letting employers hire whom they wish.

However, those days have long passed. An employer cannot discriminate on the basis of race, religion, age, gender etc. Why allow them to discriminate for possible health reasons?

Where do you draw the line? You make the point clear enough about potential increased health care costs. What about employees who participate in extremem sports? Drive motorcycles? Have a predisposition to genetic health care problems (shall we permit genetic/DNA tests for those considered for employment and weed these people out)? And, of course, pre-existing medical problems? What about women? Boobies are terribly suceptible to breast cancer. People who are of child bearing age should be barred too. Births can be terribly expensive.

Given that medical plans have deductibles and caps, how do obese and smokers increase costs?

Yup, they outta be fired. Of course then they'll be on Medicaid (free health care) paid for by the government. But wait! Has the cost been reduced, or merely shifted to another payor?

If merely shifted, what's the point from the macro-view? A transfer of wealth from the gov sectore to the private sector. Is that worthwhile and justified?

Fern

 

[teclis1023]

Again, I don't think anyone is talking about firing women who get breast cancer, this is about people making stupid decisions such as smoking. Everyone is taking this and exacerbating the issue to the point of absurdity. Nobody is questioning child birth, breast cancer or a broken leg.

But think about it - if someone is obese and continues to eat unhealthily and not exercise, then what are they doing if not killing themselves? If someone continues to smoke, despite the wealth of knowledge about smoking, then who can they blame for their lung cancer? Most people would recognize that I usually support a very European-style health care system and work environment, but that doesn't mean that stupid behavior should be the burden of the company.

Why should my small business have to pay for your funeral because you jumped off a cliff with a bungee cord attached to your feet? Have some sense, people!

 

[NaughtyGeek]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas
In a case of smoking, it IS totally the person's choice. I'm uncertain on the weight issue.

I don't necessarily agree with you here. How many smokers were addicted to cigarettes before they were 16, 17, 18 years old? There are people in the work force who have been addicted since before cigarettes were known to be bad for you and still more who came up in a time of conflicting information on the subject. Should someone who made a mistake and got themselves hooked 20, 30, 40 years ago suddenly be put out of a job? If you can find me one treatment program for smoking cessation with 100% success rate, then perhaps I could agree that it is entirely the individuals fault. But, until then, it may be their fault they're hooked to a certain extent, but it's not their fault that they continue to be hooked. Addiction is a nasty little ah heck.

As far as the weight issue, there are those who are predisposed to be overweight and those who just make horrible eating decisions. It's NOT cut and dry "you're fat, you're an idiot."

But, IMO, nether case stated here really has anything to do with the real issue of an employer having the right to dictate what you do when you're not at work. If you don't want to hire someone who smokes or is overweight, more power to you and I surely see the logic behind it. However, once a person works for you, I think you've lost the option to continue their employment based on anything other than performance. What I do with my life is my choice and whether or not an employer offers health care is theirs. If they don't, I wont work there. But, if they offer it, they have to offer it to everyone regardless of any individuals life choices(smoker, eater, adrenaline junkie, weekend racer, etc...)

 

[jjones]

Welcome to Gattaca.

"I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the color of your skin. No, we now have discrimination down to a science."

 

[sandorski]

WTF?

This is a convoluted bit of illogic common with blind Ideologues. If the Government was to do such a thing you'd probably be jumping up and down outraged, but because it is a Business Owner or Employer of some kind it is ok?

Nuts.

 

[compuwiz1]

I believe an employer is within their rights to not allow smoking on their property, but whether I smoke or not has nothing to do with my proficiency at doing my job. Therefore, I feel it's not within their right to fire me for smoking away from work.

 

[Taejin]

lol Shivetya is off in the f*cking deep end.. what a loon

 

[Taejin]

Originally posted by: Shivetya
If you?re in love with unhealthy foods or other unhealthy things such as smoking you may just find yourself out of a job. A sweeping trend is creeping up on America through employers and insurance companies. The cat is out of the bag, if you?re a smoker you have a target on your head for being unhealthy and are at risk of losing your job or paying steep monthly fines and penalties.


I support this. Why? Because its not a right to have a job. You have to earn it. If an employer wants healthy employees why should they not have that right? What right is it of yours to impose your unhealthy lifestyle on an employer, LET ALONE fellow employees?


I guess in the future these people will seek government protection and get it. Can you imagine the audacity, selfishness, that will occur when these people petition Congressmen for protection. Can you imagine the insult to the rest of us when it happens? We will not only be forced to pay their medical bills but suffer through every associated illness they bring along.

I can see it now, indirect support of smoking by the government. Then again we already have it don't we?

quoted so he can't edit this..this is a gold mine

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

It's already a reality at the company my wife works at. Privately owned firm of @ 1000 employees. If you smoke they will not hire you. If they hired you when you were a smoker, before they changed their policy, and you did not quit once the policy changed you got fired. Nobody in the company is allowed to smoke, period. If they discover that you smoke in your free time you will be fired, no exceptions.

 

[blackllotus]

I can understand not hiring someone if they are a chain smoker or seriously ill, but I don't think anybody should be fired for that.

 

[NoStateofMind]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
It's already a reality at the company my wife works at. Privately owned firm of @ 1000 employees. If you smoke they will not hire you. If they hired you when you were a smoker, before they changed their policy, and you did not quit once the policy changed you got fired. Nobody in the company is allowed to smoke, period. If they discover that you smoke in your free time you will be fired, no exceptions.

Why does this make me feel like I'm black in the 1930's?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: PC Surgeon

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
It's already a reality at the company my wife works at. Privately owned firm of @ 1000 employees. If you smoke they will not hire you. If they hired you when you were a smoker, before they changed their policy, and you did not quit once the policy changed you got fired. Nobody in the company is allowed to smoke, period. If they discover that you smoke in your free time you will be fired, no exceptions.

Why does this make me feel like I'm black in the 1930's?

Not quite the same since you have a choice whether or not to smoke, but I get your point.

 

[AndrewR]

It's already a significant factor with insurance companies who ask if you are a smoker and your height/weight. As far as I know, it's perfectly legal for the insurance companies to do so.

Perhaps a company, instead of firing employees, should institute a freeze on wages except for those who are "healthy" within their definition. It's a similar fiscal penalty as paid with insurance premiums. Heck, tie the percentage of an annual raise actually received to the score on a physical fitness test. If you achieve an 80-100% on the test, you get the full raise. Lower than that, you only receive a percentage.

That's assuming that the company also pays a stipend for healthclub membership.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Taejin
lol Shivetya is off in the f*cking deep end.. what a loon

Oh how the mighty have fallen :laugh: :thumbsup: