A former cancer stick smoker turned vaper would like to know if any of you fellow office drones/vapers have been busted sneaking a few puffs:
Wanted to get some insight from the GC community. I am a vaper since I quit smoking and have been vaping on several occasions in my office. Sometimes I'll hit the bathroom or an empty conference room. I find myself being way more productive since I am at my desk and can vape while I am working as opposed to taking a 15-20 minute group smoke break. My thought is…if no one knows, who cares…vape away!!!! Wanted to know if anybody has been caught and what the general reaction has been.
First, can I just say I absolutely hate people who vape in public just because they can? I'm not sure why, I indulge in e-cigs in the privacy of my own home from time to time myself but that guy sucking on a virtual cigarette in the grocery store makes me want to punch him in his stupid smug face. WE GET IT, you aren't smoking a real cigarette. You're still smoking, knock it off.
Anyway, back on topic. Let's remove the vape factor here and look at it this way: would you get annoyed by a colleague who is always slipping into the bathroom or an empty conference room to screw around on his or her phone? Or how about the guy with an intestinal condition that is always in the bathroom? Maybe no one in your office cares and as long as you're getting your work done, maybe it doesn't matter, but if your vape habit is giving you the benefit of a few moments away from the grind, your biggest issue might be the perceived time imbalance.
You wrote "I find myself being way more productive since I am at my desk and can vape while I am working" but are you really vaping at your desk? Doesn't sound like it. Sounds like you're sneaking off to a dark corner to get a few puffs in who knows how often. Again, maybe no one cares but let's be honest about it and not pretend like you're vaping at your desk while working.
Is it better than taking a true smoke break? Probably. Not only does it take less of a chunk out of your day, you don't come back reeking like an ashtray.
I also question your reasoning of "if no one knows, who cares," because no one knew Bernie Madoff was a fraud for a long time and you see how that turned out. Obviously sneaking a few vapes in throughout the day is nowhere near as bad but the point here is you're still sneaking around doing it. Why?
I say you take it a step further and just be that guy vaping away in the middle of the office. It will probably be a lot easier than someone walking in on you sheepishly hiding out in an empty conference room. Just sayin.
So, GC community, anyone have any vape war stories to tell? Can there really be that many of you hiding out in closets and bathroom stalls getting your vape fix?
