5 TIPS ON HOW TO VAPE AT WORK

Americans worked an average of 34.5 hours per week last year according to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study also showed that people in our country worked more overall than others around the globe.  

Since you spend so much of your adult life at work, why not try to make it as enjoyable as possible? If you love to vape and would like to do it at work but are hesitant, there are ways to find out if it's allowed. Below are several tips on how to learn if vaping is permissible on the job and advice on how to be proactive and help update your company policy if it isn't.

TIP #1: RESEARCH YOUR LOCAL STATE LAWS
One of the first things you should do is find out what your local state laws say about vaping. Some of the regulations vary state by state, so it's up to you to discover what the rules are for your area. Some states place it in the same category as a cigarette or tobacco product and use the same laws to govern it.

All you have to do is look up the e-cigarette regulations for each state and review the government's definition of vaping by the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium at the Public Health Law Center and the Public Health and Tobacco Policy Center. Usually, e-cigarette regulations fall underneath the same regulations as smoking for each state. If you still aren't sure you can always check with your local authorities to determine which regulations apply to e-cigarettes and which ones are focused only on smoking.

TIP #2: FIND OUT IF YOUR WORK OFFICE BUILDING ALLOWS INDOOR VAPING
Another tip is to find out if vaping is allowed inside your office building. Even if your state doesn't have any regulations against vaping, you don't want to cause any potential issues with the company that runs your office building. You can always ask the security guard or a property manager if they are aware of any rules about vaping indoors. If they can't provide any answers, you can also check out the building's codes and regulations on their website to find out more information. Usually, if the facility bans indoor smoking they usually group vaping into the same category and forbid people from doing it as well.

TIP #3: ASK HUMAN RESOURCES IF THEY HAVE ANY POLICIES ABOUT VAPING
After you've done your research and understand your local state laws and office building regulations, it's time to find out your company's policies about vaping. Ask your boss who you should talk to so you can learn more about using e-cigarettes in the workplace. Set up a meeting with them and ask if your employer has any restrictions on vaping.

You can also review a copy of the employee handbook if you don't want to schedule a meeting with anyone. Just be warned that the handbook may not mention vaping and e-cigarettes specifically since they are relatively new products when compared to traditional cigarettes. If that's the case, try to look through the employee handbook and see if it mentions smoking and how it's defined. You can always ask Human Resources for more clarity on the guidelines if you still aren't sure if vaping is allowed.

TIP #4: HOW TO CHANGE YOUR COMPANY'S ANTI VAPING POLICIES  
If your company allows vaping, that's great! You can move on to the next tip. However, if you just discovered that your company doesn't allow vaping there are still ways for you to possibly address the issue.

Some companies may be willing to waive or revise certain employee policies and regulations under the right circumstances. Find out how many employees at your job like to vape and ask them for their support. Once you know you have their support, go to your boss or upper management and let them know that you would like to propose changing the company's policies on vaping.

If they agree to hear you out, tell them how much you and the other employees would appreciate being able to vape during the workday. Explain how vaping can help employees easily transition from smoking cigarettes and that employees can vape discreetly at their desk so that it won't bother anyone.

When they try to push back at your ideas, remember to be open to their opinions and reservations. Ask if they would be willing to compromise. For example, perhaps they'd be willing to let employees vape during certain times of the workday or in designated areas like the kitchen or break room. Or maybe they would be willing to allow it if workers only used vape juice blends without nicotine. Overall, you should aim for a middle ground that everyone can accept.

TIP #5: BE COURTEOUS AND USE VAPING ETIQUETTE AT THE OFFICE
Now that your office allows indoor vaping, you should be careful that you are always courteous to your fellow workers and follow proper vaping etiquette and not blow clouds in anyone's face. Even if you get approval to vape in the workplace and another coworker asks you to stop or move away from them because they find it distracting, try to be courteous and don't argue with them.

When your non-vaping coworkers have questions about the ingredients or secondhand vapor just calmly explain that vapor is harmless to bystanders. If they still have issues with you vaping, try to talk with them one on one so that the issue does not escalate any further.

Discretion and etiquette are very important if you work in a shared office space and don't have your own office. This can help make sure that everyone at work feels comfortable.