Chapter 11 374 health. For most respondents, promoting smoking cessation felt that the employer was interfering with their personal lives. Employee 10 (Female; smokes only when stressed): “I do not know… where do you draw the line in what your employer can and cannot decide for you? Are you allowed to interfere in personal spheres as an employer? I find it difficult.” Two respondents said that the only thing employers should care about is whether the employees did their jobs correctly, not whether they smoked or not. The term ‘patronising’ was often mentioned by respondents. Employee 12 (Female; half a pack a day): “I hate that patronising stuff, we are all adults. Like: “our department is going to take the healthy road”, no, I can take my own route. That, that is patronising here. I do not come into your house to smoke, I do not stand next to you if you do not smoke. So who do I bother, myself? May I?” Respondents stated that, if employee health is of concern, working conditions should be optimized first: Employee 15 (Female; smokes “a lot”): “If you want something from us, you should first pay us better and make sure we get the appreciation we need, because it is an interaction. I work my ass off for this hospital, and the way I have been treated… I think: why would I do something for you, if you do not want to do something for me? If you show good-will to your staff, the staff will give you good-will in return.” Employee 13 (Male; half a pack a day): “So yeah, if they really care about us and our health, then they should start with changing the working conditions. I have to walk more than 20 kilometres per day for my job, the work I do is also unhealthy.” Respondents generally agreed that the hospital could not allow smoking on hospital grounds, but still had a strong preference for a designated smoking area, as it would in their opinion decrease smoking and cigarette butts in other places. In addition, respondents felt annoyed that walking out of the smoke-free zone to smoke took up most of their break times. Although they understood that it was their own decision to smoke, they felt that employers could provide more care. Furthermore, respondents felt that the focus on smoking was one-sided, as there are many other unhealthy behaviours, such as drinking alcohol and eating fast food.
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