THOUSAND OAKS : GTE OKs Smoking Ban for Employees

GTE California has adopted a new smoke-free policy that prohibits employees from lighting up in all company buildings across the state, including its Thousand Oaks headquarters.

The smoking ban, which took effect Thursday and applies to all 680 GTE California buildings, was prompted in part by the results of an employee survey taken last year, said Marita Cunningham, manager of GTE’s Health Program.

The survey found that an overwhelming majority of the company’s 14,400 employees were concerned about the effects of second-hand smoke, Cunningham said. Those concerns were underscored by an Environmental Protection Agency report issued earlier this year declaring second-hand smoke carcinogenic, she said.

Cunningham said research by the Smoking Policy Institute in Seattle has also found that absenteeism is greater among employees who smoke than those who do not.

GTE’s Thousand Oaks headquarters has about 2,500 employees, about 12% to 15% of whom are smokers, Cunningham said.

The company, which has had designated indoor smoking areas since 1983, has not received any employee complaints about the ban, spokesman Larry Cox said. Smokers can still go outside whenever they want to light up, he said.

Cox said the company is providing free counseling services to employees who are trying to kick the habit.