Read the scenario below. Describe how you will handle this situation. Explain your reasons.
You recently accepted the position as office manager for a small medical claims billing company. The business is small and has few rules and regulations. Unfortunately, the lack of rules and regulations is creating a problem that you must now address.
Two of the employees are non-smokers. They are becoming increasingly vocal about the fact that two other employees smoke at work. The non-smokers feel that the secondary smoke in the workplace is endangering their health. They want to establish a non-smoking policy as in many large businesses today.
The two smokers, however, argue that since the business did not have a policy when they started working there, it would be unfair to impose such a policy on them now. One of them, in particular, says that he turned down an attractive job with another company because he wanted to work in a place where he could smoke.
The fifth worker is also a non-smoker, but says that she doesn't care if others smoke. Her husband smokes at home anyway, she says, and so she is used to being around smokers. It is easy to imagine that if the two vocal non-smokers are not appeased, they may leave. At the same time, you also think that the two smokers will leave if you mandate a no smoking policy. All five workers do good work, and you do not want any of them to leave.