State Farm Goes Smoke Free

[python]

State Farm Insurance Company will no longer allow smoking on their premises. No smoking outside or in the parking areas. They also encourage people to call the 'code of conduct hot line' to report violators. I will never use State Farm Insurance and for those of you who do use them, I urge you to seriously consider changing to a different insurance company.
It is time we smokers start boycotting companies that discriminate against us!
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_c8c06658-f9c9-11de-947e-001cc4c002e0.html

 

[pstlpkr]

Professor Henry Higgings, portrayed by Rex Harrison in the movie "My Fair Lady" said it best.
"Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn!"

 

[pipegangster]

Hopefully there are sidewalks close by to the State Farm locations. The sidewalk is city,town,village property so an employee could stand on the sidewalk in front of the State Farm locations and smoke. State Farm could not do a damn thing about it because it is not their property. I highly encourage State Farm employees to do this. It is the proverbial middle finger to State Farm. Hell, get in touch with me. If you're close by I'll join you.

 

[admin]

I feel sorry for their employees.

 

[jonesing]

I worked for them for 11 years. This was the case back in the mid 90's. Just never really overly enforced.
I suspect this came to the forefront because of the KS legislation outlawing smoking within several hundred feet of any building entrance or sidewalk etc. State Farm typically does in all states as dictated in one when it comes to employee policy.
But hey man. Given they are now my primary competitor I'm glad to see them shoot them selves in the foot and lose Bob's (and hopefully many others) business.

 

[sapo59]

Will never buy insurance with them.

 

[python]

The thing that really pisses me off about them is not that they won't allow smoking around the entrances, etc. I can understand that. It is that they won't even allow you to smoke in your car away from everyone else and that they actually encourage other employees to call the 'hot line' and report you if you do. How policed state is that?

 

[thecigarsoldier]

I’d say what a joke but it’s not really funny anymore. One of the charter members in my club not only works for State Farm but proudly displays two of his humidors right in his office. He is an independent agent and has his own building so although he doesn't smoke at his office, I’m sure this pisses him off more than any of us.

 

[jonesing]

Well as misguided as it is. It is their property and their business to run as they see fit.
And there is always a particular element that doesn't seem to be able to follow rules. Pretty soon you have butts all over the parking lot, people deciding it's "ok just this once" to smoke by the customer entrances etc. Of course the more enlightened approach to me is to handle individual offenders and not take a shotgun to the whole group.
I say this having recently witnessed a few of my people throwing butts all over the ground near an entrance/exit at hotel where we had a conference. There were ash receptacles a few steps away. I picked them up and then went to ask their bosses bosses (my direct employees) why they had people with poor judgment and no manners working for them.
Not defending State Farm's overkill here in any way,. But I do support all private rights including those allowing business to run their affairs as they see fot so long as they don't break the letter or spirit of reasonable law.