European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 14, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Ann e. Laforge. New York times or the past to years Charles l. Wry has Kapl on his desk a sign that Bays politely Thanh you for nol smoking an avid anti smoker he decided Long ago that even though he has no right to Force others to Slop smoking he doas have lha right to make his own work space smoke free. As editor and publisher of successful meetings Magazine in new York Wrye went a few Steps further. Under growing pressure from Many of his 35 employees to restricted smoking to certain areas of the office a policy intended to pacify the non smokers without Overly angering the smokers. Wrye s Middle of the Road Resolution of the problem is typical of the approach taken by a number of companies Over the past two years As employee pressure mounted to restrict smoking. Some 38 percent of employers in the United Stales have put smoking policies into place since 1985, according to a Survey last year by the Bureau of National affairs. The flexible guidelines established a year ago at Eastman Kodak for example have been typical of corporals America s solution to the smoking problem. The employees who will be affected Vole on whether smoking will be permitted in conference rooms and classrooms. If it s a close Call supervisors help individual work groups Compromise each company unit has the responsibility to designate smoking and non smoking areas said Henry Kaska Public information director when the preferences of non smokers and smokers conflict the supervisors Musl work it out. When that s not possible the preference o the non smoker  where smoking is permitted Al Kodak. Individuals May designate their offices As non smoking areas. In the cafeterias and lounge non smoking areas Are periodically re evaluated to make sure they Maal demand. The company maintains that these flexible rules have worked just Lina in 99.9 percent of the cases we be had no problem Kaska said. Nevertheless the toleration for smokers among executive policy makers is beginning to fade particularly since last december Whan the surgeon general reported that involuntary inhalation of smoke 1mm other people s cigarettes can cause disease in healthy non smokers. That report appears to establish a basis for corporate liability and some companies policies Are shilling irom the democratic to the draconian. Prompted by the discovery that materials used in some of its plants could be especially hazardous to smokers the us corp. Announced that workers could be dismissed unless they slopped smoking both on and off the Job. The few companies that have tried total bans have sometimes been pleased with he results. James Tiffany executive vice president of Lovejoy Tiffany & associates inc., said he encountered Lew problems with the employee initiated ban on smoking in his Ann Arbor mich., office which has 30 employees. I had one person come up to me and say she would never have taken the Job had she realized that there would be a non smoking policy Tiffany said but she is still working far us a year and a half later recently 1 offered a Chain smoker a of. When she Learned of our policy she took an extra Day to consider the offer but she did accept  one company that has tried Bolh a moderate and a Complete ban on smoking Pacific Northwest Bell in Washington says that smoke free is the Only Way to go. In 1983, after studying the smoking Issue and surveying its employees Pacific Northwest Bell announced a flexible policy for its 750 of Lico buildings. Basically we said that there would be to smoking in training and conference rooms recalled Leonard d. Bell director of human resources planning. We adjusted the employee cafeteria from 20 percent sealing Lor non smokers to 66 percent and we Tell it up to individual work groups to determine smoking and non smoking areas. We also initiated a smoking cessation program for employees but the policy did t work. Even if the smokers observed the limits the smoke Tseh did not. If one work group took a vote and 59 percent of the people agreed there should be smoking you d still have 41 percent who were bothered by smoke Bell explained. Then there was the problem of smokers who bordered non smoking districts. Their smoke would Drill  after studying the problem further the company decided to go smoke free in All buildings. In addition we agreed to pay for employees their spouses and their dependents to attend any program hypnosis acupuncture behaviour modification that would help them Stop smoking Bell said. He concedes that some smokers do not like the ban. And that Many people go outside the buildings to smoke. But of the 15,000 employees affected not one has quil because of the policy and to Dale no lawsuits have been filed. The companies most Likely to have official policies Are in locations where workplace smoking Laws Are already in effect according to the human resources policy corp. About 10 slates including Connecticut and new Jersey have some form of no smoking legislation that applies to the private sector. Hut As complaints from non smokers turn into crusades states and cities Are lightening the old rules and issuing new ones. The new York slate Public health Council has produced the toughest restrictions yet on lighting up in Public. The Council s regulations which go into Ellec in May prohibit smoking in any enclosed work area occupied by More than one person unless that area is occupied exclusively by smokers further there will be no smoking in auditoriums classrooms meeting rooms elevators hallways restrooms medical facilities and most areas of Public Page 14 the stars and stripes saturday i