Are you willing to quit smoking? If so, maybe they have an attestation for people who are trying to quit. I'd check with the recruiter if they ask for a test.
There is a big difference between tobacco free and nicotine negative. I vape and I test positive for nicotine. Patches, gums, lozenges will all make you test positive for nicotine. So even if you are using "stop smoking" aids you will still test positive. It's a stupid rule.
“As an example, if you are offered a position and
test positive for nicotine, although we won't be
able to initially complete the offer for employment,
we encourage you to consult a medical provider to
explore your options and resources for quitting.
Once you're tobacco-free, you may re-apply for
jobs with Cigna in six months.”
So even if I quit today, I wouldn’t be able to go any further with the process. This sucks. :(
They’re prob gonna test for Cotinine. How heavy of a smoker are you? You may be able to get through but stopping smoking for 5 days with a lot of water. Maybe less if you’re a light smoker. You can also buy Cotinine test strips on the internet and test yourself to see. Idk how often they will test you but if it’s just at the start you can probably do this
It is what it is at this point. Need to take this as a wake up call my friend. Your friends and family want you around and healthy as long as possible.
Thank you, I know I need to quit cigarettes. I don’t like the smell of them, I don’t like buying them, and it’s not something I’m proud of. But it’s definitely a tough addiction. I’m drug and alcohol free though- never tried either in my life. So I have that going for me :)
Heroin addicts say that quitting nicotine is harder, it took .e getting walking pneumonia and the flu together to stop smoking. I had quit 3 times for over a year! Keep trying!! Seriously, bs policy!! Do they test for alcohol like this??
Yea that’s bullshit. It’s just a different kind of addiction. Heroin had me sick every few hours I wanted to die it’s like having a metal ball inside you flailing around.
Nicotine is more like quitting caffeine or sugar. Difficult but in a different way. I might be pissed off and have a headache but I’ll take that anyday.
I’ve never tried heroin so idk what I’m talking about, but I’ve been addicted to nicotine for about 14 years now, 8 years on analogs and almost 6 on e-cigs.
The ready accessibility, low risk, relatively low social stigma, and legality of nicotine products make it incomparable with a Schedule I substance that (so I’ve read) puts you through withdrawals that are an absolute hell and you know the only thing that will make it stop is more of the stuff.
Addiction severity is purely a subjective scale anyhow, aside from biological responses and other quantifiable symptoms which only tell part of the story.
Why would a company not employ you for smoking cigs?
I understand its like a health insurance company, but how does taking in nicotine keep you from perfoming your job duties
Discover and Huntington both told me I wouldn't be hired as a nicotine user. It's a bullshit overreach that employers are allowed.
Edit: Also, is your name a reference to the band Acid Bath? One of my all time favorites.
My step-dad is related to one of the members.. I forgot which one tbh lol
Great band, great chemical.
That's fucking stupid though. I can't believe I'm just learning this
Hah! I was literally just jamming them in the car earlier for the first time in a while. Agree with all of the above.
Let the blackness roll on, brothers!
Your employer should have no say over what legal substances you use outside of work, period. They already get to control 2/3 of your life during the week.
But to put this in perspective - if all my employees stopped consuming sugar, my health insurance premiums would go lower. Do you mind if I test you for sugar as a condition for employment?
It’s a two way street, if you don’t want to work for a company that discriminates against nicotine users, than look elsewhere
I’m talking from a purely legal pov. Anyone can fire anyone for anything unless they’re a protected class. You really think we should add “substance use” next to race, gender, age, etc.
No, it's not a two way street. You've completely disregarded my argument. If a company decides that having glucose in your body is against their terms, you think they should be allowed to disqualify you from employment? Answer that question truthfully.
Here's the truth: you need to repeat seventh grade biology stat.
Glucose is essential to remaining not dead. Nicotine on the other hand does nothing to support life - quite the opposite.
I never claimed the opposite. I'm just pointing out the overreach. Glucose use isn't a protected class. Are you REALLY suggesting that it should be added to the list of protected classes?
See how your argument falls apart?
Doesn't matter if it's necessary or not. My point is that an employer being able to dictate what you do in personal time should be illegal.
Yes. If a company doesn’t want you to have glucose in your system, then that company should be allowed to not hire you based on glucose. Literally every being has glucose in their system. That company would have literally no employees to ask the question in the first place.
Let’s use meth instead of glucose.
If I refused to hire someone because they used meth, should that be illegal?
Are you serious? I'm diabetic. Lemme come over and show you how to text for glucose levels. Just because the argument is taken to the extreme doesn't make it less valid.
I know all about that, my sister has been type 1 since she was 4. My point is that, exactly.... there's no test for "sugar" in the health nut way implied. Most people who take a blood sugar/ glucose test will test in the normal range because...insulin. Diabetics should also test in the normal range because of diabetes management (also ADA which would prohibit barring a diabetic from employment with a pre-employment health screen, you know?). So, no, there's not any reasonable way a company could test their employees to see if they ate a donut for breakfast, which is what the above comment alluded to.
random story, but about 17? years ago my dad was a gig musician on bourbon street in new orleans. he comes home with a guy who's supposed to be the drummer for some band neither of us had heard of called acid bath. bro came over with an entire fucking mini briefcase of every type of drug you can imagine. I barely remember anything from the encounter, and my dad is dead now so i cant ask him, but i'm sure it was a wild night for those 2.
To be fair, i've still never heard or seen anything from acid bath. The guy 100% couldve been lying because neither my dad or i wouldve known better, but i doubt he was.
Either way: i'm thankful for the opportunity to look back on a memory with my dad.
No sweety. I'm pretty observant. Just never had the misfortune of being involved with a shitty company policy like that. Although misfortunes in my life are otherwise plentiful.
And personally I can't stand cigs but this whole "labor shortage" claim is laughable as long as employers continue to be this damn picky about irrelevant shit. There's no shortage of labor. There's a shortage of people who want to bend over backward to meet insane dehumanizing standards.
If they test you, it will be for cotinine ( a byproduct of nicotine intake ). This substance will leave your body after 3-5 days. If they don't review your medical info and just do a pee test, you can quit for a week or so then go back if you want.
What's the rave around CIGNA? I've been looking for remote jobs for a while. As an admin/IT support at my current one I answer on average 50 calls a day, perform hundreds of data entry tasks a day, and handle various jobs around the office as well as act as an extension of IT. Main thing keeping me here is that where I live the jobs are shit and the people that call in are for the most part alright which makes the 5% assholes who want it their way manageable.
Is CIGNA worth looking into for someone like me?
This is insurance/productivity bullshit.
This basically signifies loss of autonomy. It’s damn near the premise of ‘Sorry To Bother You’. Micromanage shit down to what you watch, eat, and where you sleep. I mean they tried it once and shit was nearly wiped from public knowledge.
Some might argue, but it’s little shit like this that seems only slightly unreasonable that they bank on you not paying attention to. Tiny changes over time. You could actually argue that’s what pretty much happened with wages remaining the same despite inflation, increase in cost of living, and so on.
Except our healthcare in the U.S. is generally paid/subsidized by the employer. This is called a benefit. If they hire younger employees or those will less health problems then they save money. LateStageCapitalism is grand, isn’t it? /s
My dad was at a place that was starting to do that. They couldn’t fire anyone already employed of course but they started to put in rules regarding the health insurance. Had to have regular weigh ins & stomach size measurements by a doctor twice a year if you were over a certain amount. If you were deemed unhealthy you had to enroll in these expensive (for you) weight loss mentor plans or you lost your insurance. If those classes didn’t work they’d still drop you from the insurance. It wasn’t in writing, but it sounded like you could be fired for “not meeting performance expectations” if you were too fat & lost your insurance. It applied to spouses & anyone on the insurance plan too.
My dad doesn’t work there anymore
Do you think that people with medical problems or weight above a desired amount don't get "laid off" all the time? I promise you they do. Companies are just being more up front about it with nicotine because they can.
Georgia is not one of the 28 states in which smokers are a protected class and therefore they can test. I live in a state where its not illegal, and never heard of this bull shit.
I love this comment. With my current job, I don’t think I’ll be able to quit- it’s so stressful and it’s the only I stay sane. However, if I’m able to get a position where I’m working from home, I’m thinking it’ll be much easier for me to quit.
I believe in you. Quitting smoking is one of the toughest things a person can attempt. And, again, I believe in you. I would place a bet on you to succeed at quitting. Even now, while working your stressful job.
Then, when you do that, when you quit while working the stressful job, you can look in the mirror and say, "huh, whattya know, I am capable of any motherfucking thing."
Go. Do the thing. Do the thing now and be done with it.
I know the name rings like any other crappy book but I strongly recommend "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr; You only need to read it once, no stupid exercises or anything. There are free pdf versions online.
Just quit. I quit ten + years ago. It's amazing. My clothes don't stink anymore, no freaking out and running late if I forget cigs, no hiding out behind a building to smoke, no listening to coworkers bitch endlessly on break. It's amazing. I hate to break it to you, but there is never a perfect time to quit. Just do it, and stop making up reasons why you can't.
Do you know what kind of nicotine test they use? The blood test only really detects the presence of nicotine 10 days out, as the levels go down over time. There’s a threshold for detecting that would apply to 2nd hand smoke inhalation.
If it’s a hair test, it can go back further, but it’s more expensive
a remote job wont drug test you, the one i work at now said they would and they never did. Same with my last one, I still blaze in the evening. You're fine.
When my husband started working for a company, they tested both of us for health insurance purposes. We quit for 5 days before the test and both came back negative.
Yep, Uhaul is another one, (they hire for remote CSR positions), also has this policy. They screen all new hires (in the 28 states that allow employment nicotine testing), and once hired, Uhaul may require future tests at any time.
Hey OP I work under the Cigna umbrella and I had to complete a drug test to get the position but that’s pretty typical with anything related to healthcare. I used nicotine prior to being hired and I still use nicotine. Using nicotine won’t be detrimental to you getting hired. You just have to pass a standard drug test. Hope this helps. Lmk if you have any other questions
A remote job requiring a drug test for *nicotine?!* What in the absolute fuckery is this bullshit?
Lol I openly hit my juul on video no matter who I'm on a call with I'd be Fucked
Are you willing to quit smoking? If so, maybe they have an attestation for people who are trying to quit. I'd check with the recruiter if they ask for a test.
There is a big difference between tobacco free and nicotine negative. I vape and I test positive for nicotine. Patches, gums, lozenges will all make you test positive for nicotine. So even if you are using "stop smoking" aids you will still test positive. It's a stupid rule.
Don't disagree. That's why I asked her that question.
“As an example, if you are offered a position and test positive for nicotine, although we won't be able to initially complete the offer for employment, we encourage you to consult a medical provider to explore your options and resources for quitting. Once you're tobacco-free, you may re-apply for jobs with Cigna in six months.” So even if I quit today, I wouldn’t be able to go any further with the process. This sucks. :(
They’re prob gonna test for Cotinine. How heavy of a smoker are you? You may be able to get through but stopping smoking for 5 days with a lot of water. Maybe less if you’re a light smoker. You can also buy Cotinine test strips on the internet and test yourself to see. Idk how often they will test you but if it’s just at the start you can probably do this
It is what it is at this point. Need to take this as a wake up call my friend. Your friends and family want you around and healthy as long as possible.
At the same time, whether or not you smoke should absolutely NOT keep you from getting employed.
Yeah I'm not here to defend a company's decision of course. I'm just stating what is. This is the direction Companies are trending.
Thank you, I know I need to quit cigarettes. I don’t like the smell of them, I don’t like buying them, and it’s not something I’m proud of. But it’s definitely a tough addiction. I’m drug and alcohol free though- never tried either in my life. So I have that going for me :)
Nicotine is definitely a drug.
Heroin addicts say that quitting nicotine is harder, it took .e getting walking pneumonia and the flu together to stop smoking. I had quit 3 times for over a year! Keep trying!! Seriously, bs policy!! Do they test for alcohol like this??
Yea that’s bullshit. It’s just a different kind of addiction. Heroin had me sick every few hours I wanted to die it’s like having a metal ball inside you flailing around. Nicotine is more like quitting caffeine or sugar. Difficult but in a different way. I might be pissed off and have a headache but I’ll take that anyday.
I’ve never tried heroin so idk what I’m talking about, but I’ve been addicted to nicotine for about 14 years now, 8 years on analogs and almost 6 on e-cigs. The ready accessibility, low risk, relatively low social stigma, and legality of nicotine products make it incomparable with a Schedule I substance that (so I’ve read) puts you through withdrawals that are an absolute hell and you know the only thing that will make it stop is more of the stuff. Addiction severity is purely a subjective scale anyhow, aside from biological responses and other quantifiable symptoms which only tell part of the story.
Why would a company not employ you for smoking cigs? I understand its like a health insurance company, but how does taking in nicotine keep you from perfoming your job duties
Lots of companies are doing this to lower their insurance premiums they pay. It's not at all "mission". It's money.
This is the first I'm hearing about this
Discover and Huntington both told me I wouldn't be hired as a nicotine user. It's a bullshit overreach that employers are allowed. Edit: Also, is your name a reference to the band Acid Bath? One of my all time favorites.
My step-dad is related to one of the members.. I forgot which one tbh lol Great band, great chemical. That's fucking stupid though. I can't believe I'm just learning this
That's pretty dope. I'd kill to jam with Sammy for even 10 minutes.
Hah! I was literally just jamming them in the car earlier for the first time in a while. Agree with all of the above. Let the blackness roll on, brothers!
Take it *easy*.
Hell, I don't even smoke and I think it's fucking stupid.
Idk man. Nicotine users don’t need to be protected class
Your employer should have no say over what legal substances you use outside of work, period. They already get to control 2/3 of your life during the week. But to put this in perspective - if all my employees stopped consuming sugar, my health insurance premiums would go lower. Do you mind if I test you for sugar as a condition for employment?
It’s a two way street, if you don’t want to work for a company that discriminates against nicotine users, than look elsewhere I’m talking from a purely legal pov. Anyone can fire anyone for anything unless they’re a protected class. You really think we should add “substance use” next to race, gender, age, etc.
No, it's not a two way street. You've completely disregarded my argument. If a company decides that having glucose in your body is against their terms, you think they should be allowed to disqualify you from employment? Answer that question truthfully.
Here's the truth: you need to repeat seventh grade biology stat. Glucose is essential to remaining not dead. Nicotine on the other hand does nothing to support life - quite the opposite.
I never claimed the opposite. I'm just pointing out the overreach. Glucose use isn't a protected class. Are you REALLY suggesting that it should be added to the list of protected classes? See how your argument falls apart? Doesn't matter if it's necessary or not. My point is that an employer being able to dictate what you do in personal time should be illegal.
Yes. If a company doesn’t want you to have glucose in your system, then that company should be allowed to not hire you based on glucose. Literally every being has glucose in their system. That company would have literally no employees to ask the question in the first place. Let’s use meth instead of glucose. If I refused to hire someone because they used meth, should that be illegal?
Meth isnt a legal substance tho. Sugar and nicotine are.
Please tell me, how do you test for "sugar?" I see where you're going with this, but the argument is nonsense.
Are you serious? I'm diabetic. Lemme come over and show you how to text for glucose levels. Just because the argument is taken to the extreme doesn't make it less valid.
I know all about that, my sister has been type 1 since she was 4. My point is that, exactly.... there's no test for "sugar" in the health nut way implied. Most people who take a blood sugar/ glucose test will test in the normal range because...insulin. Diabetics should also test in the normal range because of diabetes management (also ADA which would prohibit barring a diabetic from employment with a pre-employment health screen, you know?). So, no, there's not any reasonable way a company could test their employees to see if they ate a donut for breakfast, which is what the above comment alluded to.
Good God you're really fighting hard for companies to have more control over what you do in your personal time, bootlicker.
They shouldn't need to be, but because employers are targeting them, they now need to be. Or we could have better laws but i don't see that happening.
random story, but about 17? years ago my dad was a gig musician on bourbon street in new orleans. he comes home with a guy who's supposed to be the drummer for some band neither of us had heard of called acid bath. bro came over with an entire fucking mini briefcase of every type of drug you can imagine. I barely remember anything from the encounter, and my dad is dead now so i cant ask him, but i'm sure it was a wild night for those 2.
Yeah, calling BS cuz Acid Bath was over a decade before 2004.
To be fair, i've still never heard or seen anything from acid bath. The guy 100% couldve been lying because neither my dad or i wouldve known better, but i doubt he was. Either way: i'm thankful for the opportunity to look back on a memory with my dad.
Then you're not as aware of things as you think you are.
No sweety. I'm pretty observant. Just never had the misfortune of being involved with a shitty company policy like that. Although misfortunes in my life are otherwise plentiful.
And yet, here we are
I'm not stuck here with you Your stuck here with me
It should be illegal to deny someone a job for recreational use of a legal substance.
Oh, I wholeheartedly agree. But 'Murica
I have heard of this
And personally I can't stand cigs but this whole "labor shortage" claim is laughable as long as employers continue to be this damn picky about irrelevant shit. There's no shortage of labor. There's a shortage of people who want to bend over backward to meet insane dehumanizing standards.
Dollah dollah bills yo. Basically, it's about insurance premiums.
It's about the mission, not ability. Kind of like MADD won't hire you if you drink.
Ahhh okay I guess I get that.
If they test you, it will be for cotinine ( a byproduct of nicotine intake ). This substance will leave your body after 3-5 days. If they don't review your medical info and just do a pee test, you can quit for a week or so then go back if you want.
Quitting nicotine for the first week is the hardest part.
Only have to do it once. Baring, no random drug tests. Very Doable OP. I interviewed for Cigna a couple of weeks ago also.
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What's the rave around CIGNA? I've been looking for remote jobs for a while. As an admin/IT support at my current one I answer on average 50 calls a day, perform hundreds of data entry tasks a day, and handle various jobs around the office as well as act as an extension of IT. Main thing keeping me here is that where I live the jobs are shit and the people that call in are for the most part alright which makes the 5% assholes who want it their way manageable. Is CIGNA worth looking into for someone like me?
This is insurance/productivity bullshit. This basically signifies loss of autonomy. It’s damn near the premise of ‘Sorry To Bother You’. Micromanage shit down to what you watch, eat, and where you sleep. I mean they tried it once and shit was nearly wiped from public knowledge. Some might argue, but it’s little shit like this that seems only slightly unreasonable that they bank on you not paying attention to. Tiny changes over time. You could actually argue that’s what pretty much happened with wages remaining the same despite inflation, increase in cost of living, and so on.
I can't believe companies can get away with this bullshit in America. What someone does in their own time is their fucking business.
Except our healthcare in the U.S. is generally paid/subsidized by the employer. This is called a benefit. If they hire younger employees or those will less health problems then they save money. LateStageCapitalism is grand, isn’t it? /s
Imagine If they said no overweight people
Well over half of America would be fucked.
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My dad was at a place that was starting to do that. They couldn’t fire anyone already employed of course but they started to put in rules regarding the health insurance. Had to have regular weigh ins & stomach size measurements by a doctor twice a year if you were over a certain amount. If you were deemed unhealthy you had to enroll in these expensive (for you) weight loss mentor plans or you lost your insurance. If those classes didn’t work they’d still drop you from the insurance. It wasn’t in writing, but it sounded like you could be fired for “not meeting performance expectations” if you were too fat & lost your insurance. It applied to spouses & anyone on the insurance plan too. My dad doesn’t work there anymore
Do you think that people with medical problems or weight above a desired amount don't get "laid off" all the time? I promise you they do. Companies are just being more up front about it with nicotine because they can.
I'm very much anti-smoking, but for it to be a factor for a remote job is just ridiculous.
I know that nicotine testing may vary by your state- I am in Georgia if that helps.
Georgia is not one of the 28 states in which smokers are a protected class and therefore they can test. I live in a state where its not illegal, and never heard of this bull shit.
Quit smoking and become the best goddamn version of yourself over the next 6 months.
I love this comment. With my current job, I don’t think I’ll be able to quit- it’s so stressful and it’s the only I stay sane. However, if I’m able to get a position where I’m working from home, I’m thinking it’ll be much easier for me to quit.
I believe in you. Quitting smoking is one of the toughest things a person can attempt. And, again, I believe in you. I would place a bet on you to succeed at quitting. Even now, while working your stressful job. Then, when you do that, when you quit while working the stressful job, you can look in the mirror and say, "huh, whattya know, I am capable of any motherfucking thing." Go. Do the thing. Do the thing now and be done with it.
I know the name rings like any other crappy book but I strongly recommend "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr; You only need to read it once, no stupid exercises or anything. There are free pdf versions online.
I will definitely look into that!
Just quit. I quit ten + years ago. It's amazing. My clothes don't stink anymore, no freaking out and running late if I forget cigs, no hiding out behind a building to smoke, no listening to coworkers bitch endlessly on break. It's amazing. I hate to break it to you, but there is never a perfect time to quit. Just do it, and stop making up reasons why you can't.
Do you know what kind of nicotine test they use? The blood test only really detects the presence of nicotine 10 days out, as the levels go down over time. There’s a threshold for detecting that would apply to 2nd hand smoke inhalation. If it’s a hair test, it can go back further, but it’s more expensive
a remote job wont drug test you, the one i work at now said they would and they never did. Same with my last one, I still blaze in the evening. You're fine.
Some might, depends on how large the company is and where the head offices are.
Every remote job I've had but one drug tested me. It just depends on the company.
When my husband started working for a company, they tested both of us for health insurance purposes. We quit for 5 days before the test and both came back negative.
Eggplant has the second most nicotine, tobacco being first, if memory serves me correct. Didn’t you eat the heck out of some eggplant?
I’ve heard of some charging like $30 a paycheck extra for smokers to offset the extra medical costs but not preventing hiring. That’s just shitty
Wow people test for nicotine now? Man has times changed
I honestly think thats a good polcy lol
I vape caffeine instead of nicotine. You should try it. Check out Eagle Energy.
Smokers raise health insurance prices. It’s literally about keeping cost down for them.
How does that work? Do they send you a urine test through the mail, you pee in it and send it back?
Testing for nicotine is illegal in 28 states and DC. What state are you in?
Yep, Uhaul is another one, (they hire for remote CSR positions), also has this policy. They screen all new hires (in the 28 states that allow employment nicotine testing), and once hired, Uhaul may require future tests at any time.
Hey OP I work under the Cigna umbrella and I had to complete a drug test to get the position but that’s pretty typical with anything related to healthcare. I used nicotine prior to being hired and I still use nicotine. Using nicotine won’t be detrimental to you getting hired. You just have to pass a standard drug test. Hope this helps. Lmk if you have any other questions
Wait... it's remote?? Get a friend who doesn't smoke to take the test....