Wedding Woes
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"Can we have our chats before you go smoke?"

Dear Prudence,

How do I tell my lovely boss she stinks? She’s a smoker and while, of course, she doesn’t smoke inside the building, she does outside during work hours. Sometimes she comes in to talk to me right after she’s had a cigarette and smells just awful. And the awful smell lingers.
I guess smokers don’t realize how they smell right after they’ve had a cigarette. She’s a great boss and a wonderful person. Is there a way I can politely ask her not to come see me until it’s been at least 10 minutes after she’s had a cigarette?

—Hates Cigarette Smoke

Re: "Can we have our chats before you go smoke?"

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    Most of my jobs have given everyone a 10 or 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon.  They were flexible and people could use them when they wanted.  Smokers were supposed to keep their smoking to those breaks.

    There was a Friends episode where Rachel pretended she was a smoker to get on her boss's good side.  Another woman who held Rachel's same position was a smoker and she was getting better assignments because she and the boss would chit-chat on the smoking breaks they took together.

    One day, the other two women were talking about how they should quit.  Rachel jumped on the opportunity that they should all try to quit together!  The other women thought that was a good idea, so they all formed a pact.  But the other two women fell off the wagon and started sneaking out for smoke breaks.  They didn't invite Rachel because she was "so good!" about quitting smoking and didn't want to tempt her.  They were impressed by her resolve, lol.  And the other coworker got the plum work trip to Paris. 
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
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    banana468banana468 member
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    Most of my jobs have given everyone a 10 or 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon.  They were flexible and people could use them when they wanted.  Smokers were supposed to keep their smoking to those breaks.

    There was a Friends episode where Rachel pretended she was a smoker to get on her boss's good side.  Another woman who held Rachel's same position was a smoker and she was getting better assignments because she and the boss would chit-chat on the smoking breaks they took together.

    One day, the other two women were talking about how they should quit.  Rachel jumped on the opportunity that they should all try to quit together!  The other women thought that was a good idea, so they all formed a pact.  But the other two women fell off the wagon and started sneaking out for smoke breaks.  They didn't invite Rachel because she was "so good!" about quitting smoking and didn't want to tempt her.  They were impressed by her resolve, lol.  And the other coworker got the plum work trip to Paris. 
    I remember that!

    I think that's such a sign of how things have shifted in the last 30 ish years since that episode aired.    I think it's so much more socially acceptable to acknowledge to others that smoke that their doing so is an imposition on the senses and health to those around them but obviously if the boss is a smoker and it's this much of an issue there's probably plenty of issues related to quitting. 
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