You have been appointed to a committee charged with the development

Scenario You have been appointed to a committee charged with the development of a smoking policy for the clerical staff of a law firm. Several of the younger secretaries and some attorneys have complained about smoke in the work area, which is a large room ( 2,000 square feet with average ven-tilation) housing 30 secretaries. Many of the law partners prefer to hire only nonsmokers in the future, and some take the position that current employees who smoke should be told they must quit within 6 months or they will be termi-nated. Ten of the secretaries smoke, seven of whom have worked for the firm for over 10 years. Two of the seven have disabilities and have some difficulty getting around. Up to now, all employees have been free to smoke any time and any place they choose. You have been asked to develop a policy. What steps should you follow in formulating a policy? Review the options, which range from taking no action to imposing a strict ban on smoking for all employees either on or off the job. You also have been asked to take a position on a possible policy specifying that new employees must be nonsmokers and that current employees must stop smok-ing within 6 months. What procedures should be followed before establishing a firm policy? What ( if any) additional information do you need to make a specific recommenda-tion? Is it legal to impose an absolute prohibition against smoking ( both on and off the job)? Also, take a position on the so- called slippery- slope theory that an outright ban on employee smoking could be the first step toward a ban on other legal activities that may be unhealthy or danger-ous ( e. g., drinking, fatty foods, sleep deprivation, extreme sports).