They're like little kids sometimes. They sneak around and you just know they're up to no good. Who am I talking about? I am talking about those smokers! You know the real smoker, not the, I smoke when I have a cocktail smoker. I mean the guy or gal that stands outside in the rain and cold just to get a puff. And boy there is no stopping them. I was one once, you might have been too. And when I did smoke nobody, and I mean nobody was going to tell me I couldn't smoke. Hell this is America isn't it?
Well things are different now. Now we're grown ups and we manage these buildings and we have to figure out how to keep the smokers away from the rest of the tenants. Although, sometimes I think we should let the two groups just go after each other. I'm so tired of hearing one say they smell smoke and the other smoking where ever they can find a warm spot in the winter or shelter in the rain.
I won't even talk about all the lost time of going down the elevator to get to the smoking area. What do you think 15-20 minutes per fag (now you know I'm old enough to remember when cigarettes were called fags). When I was a pup and the phone rang I lit a cigarette and talked to someone about something I cared about and I thought I was productive! Never mind the two martini lunches.
The point is the world has changed. But to the smoker buildings haven't changed just the rules. We have automatic irrigation to keep the grass growing, building automation systems to turn HVAC systems on and off, integrated loading docks with service elevators so we don't have to share the elevator with the delivery guy. Don't you think it's time we do something for the smoker? I do. I think it is time to give the smokers a vote. We need to challenge architects to design smoking areas that keep the smokers warm and protected and make it accessible enough to their work spaces so they can be productive. If they're not going to stop smoking we can at least help keep them happy and productive.
What do you think?
