It’s a rare and interesting phenomena when two very separate topics that I follow closely on this blog are contained in a single news story. It happened today with a daily newspaper and their internal policies regarding smoking. The Tribune Co. announced that they are abandoning their policy of a $100 per month penalty or fine against employees who smoke. The 4-month old policy consisted of a $100 per month additional charge for their healthcare premium. As reported on Workforce.com, the tobacco surcharge was inconsistent with the new culture being instituted by Sam Zell. I would guess the move also has something to do with the already hostile mood of the average daily newspaper employee who is either stressed about being laid off or panicked about the long-term prospects of gainful employment in a rapidly deteriorating industry (or both).

Tags: Smoking Policies, Corporate Smoking Policies, Fining Employees Who Smoke, HR Issues, Smoking Surcharges, Smoking Penalties, Tribune Co., Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Sam Zell, Newspaper Employees Deserve Their Nicotine Fix