The city of Fort Worth is considering not hiring smokers. When I heard about this, I wondered if this was even legal, but they actually do have the law on their side as smokers aren’t a protected class. Their logic was that not hiring smokers would reduce their health insurance costs. The link is below.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/Fort-Worth-to-consider-tobacco-ban-for-new-employees-147649255.html
In my opinion, if the city adopts this policy, it’d be a dangerous idea, as it would be tempting to start excluding other groups from the hiring pool. No one’s happy about people being hooked on cigarettes, but if Fort Worth wants to reduce insurance costs, the city could create a more positive and supportive approach. For example, they could refer current employees to various smoking cessation resources, including local hypnotherapists. They could do more to encourage gym membership and healthy eating habits.
Bottom line: smoking is legal, and if you start banning smokers from applying for a city job, it’s a slippery slope. Who’s the next banned group?