ZANESVILLE, OH – Electronic cigarettes are proving to be a controversial workplace issue, writes Jim Evans, president of JK Evans & Associates LLC, a human resource consulting firm, for the Zanesville Times Recorder.

“If not already, these devices will soon be coming to your workplace, and they will test the limits of your smoking policy,” Evans said. “If you’re an employer or human resources professional trying to stay ahead of the curve, it’s time to consider your organization’s position on the devices.”

While many employers are banning e-cigarettes from the workplace, relegating them to the same restricted outside areas as traditional cigarettes, “most employers have not yet restricted e-cigarettes in their workplaces,” Evans said, while “a few entities have already taken steps.”

Some are restricting vaporing strictly because it appears unprofessional to customers or interferes with work getting done. Meanwhile, proponents assert that, unlike regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes have no proven health risks and as such, allowing them in the workplace eliminates the need for “smoking breaks.”

“Employers will be faced with the challenge of contemplating the pros and cons of e-cigarettes for their workplaces and will need to consider adapting a policy that reflects their position,” Evans concluded. “However, no matter an employer’s position, an e-cigarette policy is sure to satisfy some, but not others.”