How to balance my big promotion with my health?

How often is sometimes? If this is frequent (and mandatory) and you are prone to lung problems, I would not take the promotion as your health is more important than the promotion. However, if you can do something to help prevent the impact on your lungs and the dinners are maybe once a month and/or optional at least occasionally, you have to weigh the potential for long term problems against the promotion.

Also, is there anyway you can talk to someone in a higher position and explain that you have a medical problem which prevents you from being in a really smokey environment? Basically, you like your job and would love to have a promotion within that company; however, the smoke with cause health problems and see if they have an alternative.

I guess I could understand your situation much better, if I were not a smoker myself.

You are in a no-win situation with the other employees smoking. In other words, you are the minority and not the majority.

You can complain, but I seriously doubt if it will make any difference.

If the smoking is really bothering you that much, I would look for other employment. Its China. Its their land and their right to smoke, if they please.

Sorry, but I would seek another job, elsewhere or just suffer.

Can you lobby the company for a smoking room?

I am not sure how frequent at this point. If this weekend happened once or twice a year I might be able to live with that. Someone privately messaged me and gave the best answer anyways.

I think my strategy will be to encourage the English team leader (I’ll be the testing coordinator and will work closer with the English dept) to cut down so I don’t have as much peer pressure. We’ll see how this goes.

Here is an article from yesterday’s news (AP) about China taking an official stand and trying to cut down on smoking in public venues.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110324/D9M5HAOG3.html

“BEIJING (AP) – Chinese health authorities are renewing a push to ban smoking in indoor public places, adding more venues like hotels and restaurants as of May 1, though still excluding many workplaces…”

Gail, I knew of this ban, I hope that it works…

@jlelandg: Given that smoking is an addiction, I am sure that there will be a huge amount of sneaking and cheating and ignoring. But at least you have some muscle to back up your complaint.

I feel for you and your dilemma.
It is interesting that they are going after hotels and restaurants first. The US went after work places first I believe.
Not to throw fear, but I have sadly lost a few friends to lung cancer who never smoked a day in their life, yet worked in places that allowed the second hand smoke to continue.

It seems that an easy solution, if possible of course, is to ask for the promotion to be rentracted and you could go back to the job you had previous. Of course, someone may be doing that now.

This is one of the reaasons why I would never accept a promotion.

Maybe explain to your boss the situation. Possibly you can miss some of the dinners, or there can be some effort to have you at a smoke free table if there are multiple tables? Might help a little.

Another suggestion I have is to give it a try once more. Maybe your infection is not related to the smoke at all. If you were asthmatic I could understand that you had a lot of trouble in a smokey room, and I certainly understand anyone who says they hate the smell of the smoke and feel it even hours or days later in their nose. But, actually getting a cold or bacterial infection is more likely from catching a cold or bacterial infection.

It’s your personal freedom to choose clean air in restaurants. What can you do? Vote for political parties that ban smoking from restaurants. Actually in most countries and states this is already in place.

I had the same issues when I was leading a trip there. Smoking is sooooo accepted and looked fondly-upon. It’s a way to say hello, a way to be “included” moreso that it is in the States. So I feel your pain. You’ve just got to learn to say “no,” dude. Looks like you’ll be in the Middle Kingdom for a while longer, so just consider yourself a non-smoker.

I went from smoking Pfunks to Chinese smokes, and the tar content is so high, and I believe the quality to so different than other countries’ that it led to a lung infection for me….had my lungs x-rayed, etc. It stunk. The 2nd hand will never stop, but you gotta just distance yourself from it. Keep a journal of impulses, people, places that you dislike because of the tendencies it gives you to smoke or exposure, etc, and just change you routine, lifestyle, rhythms.