Work Etiquette - Being a Professional and a Vape User

 

Being a young professional is stressful enough - often, you'll find yourself wading through social standards, unwritten rules, and other nuances of work life. Vaping is just one more item on the pile. Office politics can be hard to juggle without facing the stigma of being a vape user. There are, however, some guidelines to balance being both a professional and a vape user.

Know Your Office Policy

This may seem obvious, but following the policies set by your office are key to balancing vaping and work. While some rules are listed with smoking - listing them as the same, other companies have special regulations laid out specifically for vaping and e-cigs. Consult your employee handbook or company policies. If there isn't a specific regulation listed, contact the person who distributions or writes the handbook, or someone else in HR. There's no harm in asking about policies, it shows your initiative as a worker to know where your company stands in regards to a variety of issues, not just vaping.

Be Aware of Local Laws

If you're going to be traveling for work, look up vaping laws before you go. Laws vary across states, and until some form of universal regulation is reached (which may never happen - there still isn't such a system in place for smoking!) you'll be responsible for knowing the regulations of where you're traveling. Unfortunately, ignorance of the law doesn't count as an excuse. While international laws are also of concern, they can be even more difficult to understand, or get a clear cut answer. Many countries have full out bans on vapes, e-liquid, and e-cigarette supplies. For the United States, you can reference a 50 state review which breaks down the current regulations into easy to reference blocks of information. While this is a good starting point, it's always good to double check the information as laws, especially vaping regulations, can change.

Watch Where You Vape

While vaping is different than smoking - a fact that can't be stressed enough - most non-vapers aren't too keen on having vapor exhaled in their face. Stigma has gone down as vaping has become more accepted as a means of smoking cessation, but still you should exercise discretion when vaping in crowded areas or around children. Vaping on public transportation systems is often off limits, and besides, you don't want to be "that person" blowing huge clouds in a crowded subway car. The same goes for vaping in the carpool, be considerate of those you're riding to work with.  Outside of transportation, think twice before vaping in board meetings, or in the employee lounge area. Sneaking a few puffs off your e-cig during a presenter's meeting can make you appear to be bored, which may be the total opposite. And while stealth vaping is very tempting, I've found it best to hold off until my break and then going out to the smoking area to vape. While my mod is not the same as a cigarette, vaping in the smoker's area is my best bet at work to ensure I'm meeting the required vaping regulations.

When it comes to vaping at work, it all comes down to common courtesy if you want to be treated as a respected professional. It may take a little extra effort, but being courteous to your co-workers can go a long way to improve the way you're perceived among others. Work is stressful and vaping as a means to smoking cessation can be life-changing for an employee, but it's always important to know the state and local laws, your company regulations, and exercise best judgement when approaching vaping at work.

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