By Vaughan Granier

In 2014, vape, meaning, “to inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device“, was named the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year.

According to language experts, everybody was talking about vaping. But why?

First, the vape had gone mainstream; second, as vaping grew more common, public debate around the habit increased too, and not in a good way. Controversy surrounded the potential risks of e-cigarettes, and the need to regulate who, where and how one could vape.

Last year, the Government responded to calls for regulation and expanded New Zealand’s smoke-free prohibition laws to include vaping. The new legislation expects employers to reduce public harm from vapour and discourage non-smokers or youths from picking up a vape.

Introducing vaping into your smoke-free policies can greatly benefit your business. Learn more about the amended smoke-free legislation, and tips for creating a vape-free workplace in this blog.

A smoke-free workplace is a vape-free workplace

The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act 2020 (the Act), came into effect on 11 November 2020.

Under the new law, indoor and smoke-free areas at work must be vape-free too. That includes offices, restaurants, bars, factories, breakrooms, taxis, passenger lounges… you get the picture.

Outdoor areas are slightly different. As an employer, you can choose whether to extend vape-free rules to your outside premises.

There are some exceptions to the rules

The Act covers work vehicles as a smoke-free business location. However, you can decide to exempt company cars from the prohibition if:

  • The public has no access to the company cars; and
  • All workers or volunteers who use the vehicles provide written notice that they are okay with vaping in the car.

Patients and residents – not employees, nor visitors – of hospital care, disability residential care, or rest homes can also vape in the workplace, as long as the area is restricted and:

  • There’s a mechanical ventilation system;
  • There’s no escape of emissions; and
  • There’s an equivalent room for other patients or residents to socialise smoke-free.

Building your vape-free workplace policy

The best way to set expectations around workplace behaviour is to ensure you have an up to date and reliable policy in place that your employees can easily access.

Whether you have a dedicated smoke-free policy, or you’ve integrated your smoke-free expectations into other workplace guidelines, you should update all relevant policies and procedures to incorporate vaping. And don’t forget to communicate these changes across your organisation when you’re done.

Vaping Facts New Zealand points out that vaping still has a vital role in helping people quit cigarettes, which employers should consider when thinking about their smoke-free policy. Try asking your workers who vape to stop smoking how you can support them at work, without exposing others to the habit, and integrate their feedback into your workplace guidelines.

Re-designing the smoke-free signage at your workplace to portray vaping is another way to reinforce to your workers and visitors that smoking is not allowed or encouraged in your business.

Going vape-free is good for business

There are several positive reasons why banning vaping at work is a good idea; besides the obvious reason of avoiding up to a $4000 penalty for breaching the law.

Eighty per cent of Kiwis say that they support the ban of smoking in public areas. So, you could say that most of your customers and clients are more likely to prefer your business when the air around it is less cloudy.

Also, enforcing fair and reasonable smoke and vapour-free policies can lead to healthier workers; healthier workers can lead to fewer sick days; fewer sick days can lead to higher productivity at work.

While vaping might not be viewed as dangerous compared to smoking cigarettes, the habit comes with its risks, and, as an employer, you have a right to protect people on your business premises from harm. You can easily update your smoke-free policies to include vaping, and still support those who vape to quit cigarettes by soliciting their feedback during this process.

Your vape-free workplace policies will do more than just clear the air; they’ll positively impact your companies public image and your workers’ wellbeing too.

HRA Cloud contains several templates to help you lay down the rules regarding smoking and vaping at work: from specific clauses in the employment agreements to the employee code of conduct and motor vehicle policy.

If you have any questions about smoke-free workplace laws or the advice in this blog post, contact the friendly team at HR Assured. 

Vaughan Granier is the National Workplace Relations Manager for HR Assured NZ. He has over 24 years’ experience in international human resources, health and safety, and workplace relations management. With over 10 years working in New Zealand and Australian companies, he provides in-depth support to leadership teams across all areas of HR, Health and Safety, and employee management.