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Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

independent.co.uk

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Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#61

Post by wlesieutre »

draw_down wrote: post #49
wlesieutre wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason your mom was complaining is that if she just went outside for a little walk, she'd probably get written up and eventually fired because only smokers are allowed to take those breaks at most workplaces. If you have a boss who's more fair about it, that's great, but I don't think it's typical. This is especially true for places on timeclocks, probably less if you're salaried.

Sorry, I don’t buy it. I think people tell themselves that to justify why those evil smokers have hearted the system! Obviously it is ok to take a break if people are taking breaks to smoke.

I agree with you, but just because it's obvious to you or me doesn't mean it's obvious to anyone else.

Have you never had a manager who enjoyed micromanaging and enforcing rules pointlessly?

If you haven't personally, have you never even heard of someone else having such a manager?

If a company wants to have breaks for smokers only, there's nothing stopping them: http://www.hrhero.com/hl/articles/2015/07/31/are-for-smokers...

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#62

Post by SolaceQuantum »

draw_down wrote: post #49
wlesieutre wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason your mom was complaining is that if she just went outside for a little walk, she'd probably get written up and eventually fired because only smokers are allowed to take those breaks at most workplaces. If you have a boss who's more fair about it, that's great, but I don't think it's typical. This is especially true for places on timeclocks, probably less if you're salaried.

Sorry, I don’t buy it. I think people tell themselves that to justify why those evil smokers have hearted the system! Obviously it is ok to take a break if people are taking breaks to smoke.

Is it actually okay? I used to work in places where it was questioned why I went to the bathroom as often as I did, but smoke breaks were fine.

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#63

Post by athenot »

amai wrote: post #51
athenot wrote: post #42

As a non-smoker I used to go on the smoke breaks with coworkers. Not as an excuse for time away from work but rather to get up and brainstorm things. That turned out to be more productive than stay seated and let my wheels spin in my brain. Nowadays we use the coffee/watercooler break but it's not quite the same as getting out of the building, feeling the outside air against the skin (hot or cold) and getting a chang…

You know about the dangers of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_smoking ?

Obviously I wouldn't stand downwind (there's almost always a little breeze outside). Also my smoker coworkers were considerate in that they wouldn't blow their smoke in people's faces. So that wasn't an issue.

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#64

Post by teniutza »

cortesoft wrote: post #59
irl_zebra wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, smokers randomly leave for smoke breaks several times daily. Non smokers don’t do that. So smokers get more breaks, even if non smokers could step outside for 15 minutes at a time theoretically. Also it’s socially acceptable for smokers to do this, less so for non smokers to randomly leave for breaks. Can you explain what you’re not getting?

Us non-smokers just go to the bathroom.

I doubt that smokers just decide to smoke while having a wee...

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#65

Post by mc32 »

On the one hand this appears fair, on the other hand it implies a kind of Taylorist take on time and time management. This could make sense in a manual labor intensive job, but not much in most office jobs where it's harder to attribute productivity to discreet amounts of time.

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#66

Post by Raphmedia »

irl_zebra wrote: post #55
Raphmedia wrote: post #47

I've never understood this. Don't everyone get the same breaks? Are smokers considered as having a health condition and thus granted extra breaks? It's not as if the boss came in one day and told people "Everyone gets 2 x 15 minutes of breaks a day. Except for smokers, you guys can take all the breaks you want." If my employer gives me 2 x 15 minutes of breaks a day, I'll take those even if I don't smoke.

Well, smokers randomly leave for smoke breaks several times daily. Non smokers don’t do that. So smokers get more breaks, even if non smokers could step outside for 15 minutes at a time theoretically. Also it’s socially acceptable for smokers to do this, less so for non smokers to randomly leave for breaks. Can you explain what you’re not getting?

Perhaps some difference between countries or companies.

Everywhere I have worked the breaks were defined in the work contract. Right under my salaries, benefits, etc. I have a clause that more or less says: "You are entitled to take a 30-minute break after working five consecutive hours. This 30 minutes can be split through the day but not used to leave early or lengthen your lunch break."

Anyone taking more breaks than that will simply be fired.

The only exception being bathroom breaks because let's face it, we are all adult enough not to need to ask a supervisor to take a leak. I use this time to brew and enjoy a coffee in the lounge in the morning and to take a walk around the office during the afternoon. A smoker would probably split those 30 minutes into 6 cigarette breaks and that's fine.

Nobody gets extra breaks because they smoke. Is this different elsewhere?

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#67

Post by ams6110 »

Raphmedia wrote: post #66
irl_zebra wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, smokers randomly leave for smoke breaks several times daily. Non smokers don’t do that. So smokers get more breaks, even if non smokers could step outside for 15 minutes at a time theoretically. Also it’s socially acceptable for smokers to do this, less so for non smokers to randomly leave for breaks. Can you explain what you’re not getting?

Perhaps some difference between countries or companies. Everywhere I have worked the breaks were defined in the work contract. Right under my salaries, benefits, etc. I have a clause that more or less says: "You are entitled to take a 30-minute break after working five consecutive hours. This 30 minutes can be split through the day but not used to leave early or lengthen your lunch break." Anyone taking more breaks t…

I haven't seen defined break and attendance rules like that since I last punched a time clock or turned in a time sheet.

Every salaried job I've had never had anyone watching my breaks, arrival, or departure times as long as I got my work done. There is a general expectation that I will usually be present during normal business hours but that's about it.

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#68

Post by enobrev »

athenot wrote: post #42

As a non-smoker I used to go on the smoke breaks with coworkers. Not as an excuse for time away from work but rather to get up and brainstorm things. That turned out to be more productive than stay seated and let my wheels spin in my brain. Nowadays we use the coffee/watercooler break but it's not quite the same as getting out of the building, feeling the outside air against the skin (hot or cold) and getting a chang…

I quit smoking 4 years ago. I still go on smoke breaks, without the cigarette. If I'm at a bar / restaurant, I'll hang around with the smokers - who never care if I'm actually smoking. At home, I'll go sit outside for a few minutes.

It's great for the creative processes as well as for maintaining focus throughout the day. It also helps settle things a bit when socializing gets overwhelming.

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#69

Post by kfriede »

amai wrote: post #48
ehnto wrote: post #46

I don't know if it's like this in all companies in Australia, but we take coffee breaks and those happily make up for cigarette breaks. Some smokers come on the walk to the coffee place and smoke outside while we get coffee, two birds with one stone I guess. Some context though, Australia has a fairly great coffee culture, we have even been described as coffee elitists. So while the frugal and indifferent will use th…

What about the people who neither smoke nor drink coffee?

Most coffee shops have tea and bottled drinks as well.

Re: Company gives non-smokers six days holiday to compensate for cigarette breaks

#70

Post by musage »

jdavis703 wrote: post #22
musage wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Company based on 29th floor of Tokyo office block Similarly, I help people dropping the unhealthy habit of Tokyo high rise office blocks by not working there. Why mess about with symptoms when you can have the root cause?

As opposed to them working in spread out office parks, contributing to a sedentary, car-oriented lifestyle and air pollution?

I don't need to detail all your premises I didn't even buy in to to have made my choice. I'm just stating it. It doesn't require your permission or understanding, it already is.
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