Wednesday, October 21, 2009

What I learned on my summer vacation

Now that the rain is dropping daily in Portland, I'll admit that the summer is over, and my hiatus from posting is over.

The last few months were eventful, and there was one work particular work-related incident that I think will leave a permanent change in my world view.

In September, I accompanied a customer on her first day of classes this semester at Portland Community College. I previously mentioned this customer in a post about delayed gratification. She is a smoker, and she was very surprised to learn that PCC is now a tobacco-free campus. That means all of campus, including outdoor walkways and lawns, and the parking lot.

Normally, I would think that tobacco-free is a good idea. It's great for non-smokers (I love tobacco-free restaurants and hotels), and a good push for smokers to quit.

But based on my customer relationship, I hate PCC's policy. My customer already has to manage anxiety, attention deficit disorder, PTSD symptoms, undiagnosed learning disabilities, and recovery from drug use. I was on-campus with her to help put her at ease. Unfortunately, cigarettes are the usual tactic she has for overcoming nervousness.

Maybe nicotine gum will ease her cravings between class. Maybe she will kick the habit. That will help her long term, but what about this semester?

When I think about this shift in my view on the tobacco ban, I think about general employment specialist views on criminal history. Of course, we don't like that someone broke the law, but we still see someone with value and the ability to work, and it's easy to fall into an us against them trap with employers. Likewise, I'm not happy that my customer smokes, but I'm disappointed by the potential effects of the smoking ban on her grades.

Here's a Radio Lab segment discussing the study that inspired my previous post on delayed gratification.

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