Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

independent.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 130 posts

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

#71

Post by ams6110 »

zeveb wrote: post #57
draw_down wrote: post #27

This stuff just strikes me as very petty. Something about smoking or smokers just drives people a bit crazy. Before she retired, my mom would regularly bitch to me about the smoke breaks her coworkers took. She’d say “maybe I’d like to just go outside for a little walk”. So do it then! The smoking is bad of course, but the specific focus on it, to me, feels pretty hinky. How about taking breaks every once in a while…

> Something about smoking or smokers just drives people a bit crazy. I think that there must be some sort of human need to have a group to hate, and that in the West today that unlucky group is smokers. One may say the worst things about them in any social or business setting — that they are stupid, filthy, foolish, whatever — without any risk of being contradicted, indeed with the expectation that everyone will agre…

> One may say the worst things about them in any social or business setting — stupid, filthy, foolish, whatever — without any risk of being contradicted, indeed with the expectation that everyone will agree with you

Trump voters, conservatives in general often feel this as well.

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

#72

Post by shafyy »

I can see where this is coming from. Still, I don't think it's a good approach. For example, some people take 30min per day to take a shit during work time. Other people don't take a shit at all or shit very quickly (2-3 min). Some people pee 5 times during work, while others once. You get my point. Where to draw the line?

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

#73

Post by Clubber »

zitterbewegung wrote: post #18
Clubber wrote: post #2

Based on what we know about staying seated for hours a day, it would be more beneficial to allow non-smokers stand up and walk around breaks every hour rather than 6 days off.

Based on what we know about vacation taking 6 days off reduces stress levels . You also assume people will be sitting during those days off ? They could stand or god forbid exercise . A much better idea to help people not sit is to make a walking break.

>A much better idea to help people not sit is to make a walking break.

Isn't that what I said?

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

#74

Post by amai »

dionidium wrote: post #60
amai wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

It's indicative of the hysteria around secondhand smoke that someone on HN could seriously think that occasionally standing near people smoking outside is a serious health risk.

Please read about the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_smoking#Evidence .

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

#75

Post by drinchev »

Cigarette break is not a break every time. You usually can't stop thinking about work for the 10 minutes you spend outside. It's quite the opposite.

Smoking break usually shifts you the direction of thinking and you solve a problem probably faster. Not because of the cigarettes itself, but because of the environment change.

This whole idea sounds like "People without social media accounts are allowed 1 more day off, because they don't spend time on checking their facebook messages."

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

#77

Post by baldfat »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #37

When I worked for a larger company people would routinely take gym breaks (the gym was right down the hallway) which took the place of smoking breaks. Sure you can't get a huge workout in in a 15 minute break but you can get the heart rate up. In the US I'm not even sure it is legal to provide different benefits to individual employees than the rest of the company. But one thing I can say for sure is that if this was…

> In the US I'm not even sure it is legal to provide different benefits to individual employees than the rest of the company.

Well it really depends on the state. "At Will" States they can do whatever they like or fire whomever. Now they might get sued but its not against the law to just walk down to a person and say "Your Fired and Your Not Getting An Explaination."

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

#78

Post by xxxdarrenxxx »

CalRobert wrote: post #36
mattmanser wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UK's nothing like Japan, most people use all of their holiday.

FTA: "Company based on 29th floor of Tokyo.."

There is a far bigger picture which everyone seems to miss.

While non smoking is the ideal solution, thats what it is.

ideal

Realistically a break (for non-smokers all the same) can create creativity or rather room there for and keep people from spending 20 minutes to fix an issue only to find out the power was unplugged figuratively. Research a side, anecdotally most can vouch for a fresh break creating a more healthy and sometimes faster solution to a problem there after.

The thing is these are shades of grey heavily dependent on sector. A cook wasting prep time before service for 15 minutes due to a break is more likely to increase actual workload. Then say a graphic designer creating a logo or product brochure, where taking extra time to brainstorm can very well directly increase product value.

Another important factor is that taking the holidays does revitalize many. I'd argue one who never takes breaks or a holiday is more likely to over-work, make errors, get annoyed with colleagues or potentially have to drop work entirely due to workaholic related therapy. All of which scream potential and actual productivity decrease.

Tldr; Too often judged on the non verbal implication of 'fairness' which is largely an emotional argument, and not enough on objective measurable productivity increase related to health benefitting break and holiday times.

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

#79

Post by mig39 »

drinchev wrote: post #75

Cigarette break is not a break every time. You usually can't stop thinking about work for the 10 minutes you spend outside. It's quite the opposite. Smoking break usually shifts you the direction of thinking and you solve a problem probably faster. Not because of the cigarettes itself, but because of the environment change. This whole idea sounds like "People without social media accounts are allowed 1 more day off,…

Cigarette breaks are sometimes ad-hoc meetings or brainstorming sessions. You get a few people together and talk about work stuff.

I found these to be so valuable that even after I quit smoking, I'd still take "fresh air breaks" with others just for this very reason.

It's like a forced elevator conversation or something like that :-)

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

#80

Post by paulriddle »

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…

It's insanity. If I found myself working for such an employer I would immediately label them as my enemy and nope the hell out of there as soon as possible. I wouldn't talk with my friends or family, I wouldn't watch youtube or TV series, I wouldn't even walk - I would always run, as a character in a videogame, and I would chew my food very fast looking nowhere but the dish I'm eating. All of that just to squeeze out as much time as possible to getting out. You can't have positive relationships with someone who monitors your breaks.
Post reply on HN