Best Practices When Bringing an Ecig to Your Office

Electronic cigarettes have brought increased freedom to smokers. Smokers were once pushed to the margins of society because of the credible complaints of scent and second hand smoke hazards. Electronic cigarettes helped reduce these concerns, but electronic cigarette users should still exercise etiquette. Consider following these best practices regarding using an electronic cigarette at work.

Ask

While sometimes it is appropriate to “sin first and ask for forgiveness later”, bringing an electronic cigarette to the office is not one of those instances. Check with your supervisor first before using it. If they are uncomfortable with you using it in your company break room, perhaps they will allow you to use it in the privacy of your office.

Humor

If you are allowed to use an electronic cigarette in the workplace, you will still probably be subject to stares from hostile coworkers who may believe it is a real cigarette. A good way to diffuse this potentially volatile situation is to simply press the tip of your cigarette to your forehead with a smile. This subtle stunt shows others the cigarette is an electronic cigarette without resorting to words.

Teamwork

You might not be the only one considering using an electronic cigarette at work. If you know some of your coworkers are smokers, ask them how they would feel about bringing electronic cigarettes to the office. A cigarette, even an electronic one, can seem jarring in the modern workplace. If more people are doing it, however, electronic cigarettes won’t seem so out of place.

Know When to Put it Away

Even in a perfect world where your boss has no objections to using an electronic cigarette, there are still times when you should put it away. Vaping often suggests casualness, and you should never use an electronic cigarette in front of a customer or possible client; it shows disrespect and will hurt your own reputation and your company’s. Use common sense and know when to put the electronic cigarette away. Follow these four suggestions and begin bringing electronic cigarettes into the office today. Things perceived as socially acceptable can change slowly, but it can be accelerated when people decide to show respect to all involved. Following these four suggestions will show respect to those who may be an obstacle to bringing electronic cigarettes into the workplace.