Smoking Co-Workers And There "Smoke Breaks"

[WDW~Lover]

Do you think it is fair? I have seen this the last two jobs I have worked at.
Why is it that they get to go smoke with also keeping the same breaks?

I have noticed that my ex co-worker would take 4-5 smoke breaks on top of our regular scheduled breaks. Why are they entitled to take these breaks?

Just wanted to hear other points of views etc...and how to deal with them.

for me, I got to the point that when my co-workers(there was several of them) would go smoke, I started to go out with them! why should I be stuck pulling up the slack for there lack of work!


next.....

 

[golfgal]

Most companies I know of have adopted a policy that smoke breaks must fit into your regular break time so if you have 2, 15 minute breaks, that is what you get. If you break that into 6, 5 minute breaks, that was up to you BUT you better not go over your allotted time.

 

[Skywalker]

When I used to smoke there were many of us that took smoke breaks. (It helps when the boss is a smoker too, LOL). Anyway, there was this one woman non-smoker that started taking "stress breaks" everytime we took "smoke breaks". Worked out well and good for her!

 

[WDW~Lover]

Most companies I know of have adopted a policy that smoke breaks must fit into your regular break time so if you have 2, 15 minute breaks, that is what you get. If you break that into 6, 5 minute breaks, that was up to you BUT you better not go over your allotted time.

that is how it SHOULD Be! Unfortunately the big company I worked for did not do that. And a lot of talk with big wigs who smoked and the others that did would have little "meetings" outside. Fair? NOT! For some reason around here I have not seen a company yet that does policy... and if they are, they are not enforcing it!

 

[WDW~Lover]

When I used to smoke there were many of us that took smoke breaks. (It helps when the boss is a smoker too, LOL). Anyway, there was this one woman non-smoker that started taking "stress breaks" everytime we took "smoke breaks". Worked out well and good for her!

that is what I did!

 

[talulabelle]

That used to make me nuts at my last job. i shared an office with two women who smoked. Not only were they CONSTANTLY taking smoke breaks, but they took more because for some reason they could never go alone , so when one needed a smoke the other would go smoke with her to keep her company and vice versa. Then they would come back into our little office and have the little room reeking to high heavens. MY clothes would smell like smoke by the time I got home. When these women weren't sucking on dirty cancer sticks, they were thinking about sucking dirty cancer sticks. They could hardly ever start a project because they would say, "well first I'm gonna get more coffee, then have a smoke, THEN I'm gonna get started on that", then by the time they did all that all that, the other needed a smoke, and out they would go again. It was disgusting. I would have been fired if I had a lollipop addiction and took that many breaks to go suck on my lollipops outside. Of course these chick got away with it, cause one of them was sleeping wit hthe boss

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

It's always annoyed me. the smokers would get their breaks, but if I wanted to go outside and, say, walk around the building, the idea would have been laughed at. We were salaried, no official break policy. It also bothered me that people would take smoke breaks in a group--then none of them are doing their job at that moment, and you may need someone in a hurry.

I wouldn't have a problem with smoke breaks if it was equal. I don't care for smoking, but I'd ratehr it was outside, and I respect that it's a legal activity.

 

[mamacatnv]

The guys in my shop get 2 - 15 minute breaks plus their lunch. We allow them to take smoke or cell phone call breaks at other times but they are required to punch out for 15 minutes per occassion. I have 2 guys that regularly work 7.75 hour days because they take an extra unpaid break, one smokes, 1 yacks on the phone.

As for our office staff no one keeps track. A couple smoke, some end up making lots of personal phone calls other spend time doing personal stuff at their desks etc.

Personally, I don't think it is anyone elses business. If the company allows it then deal with it. While a smoke break is obvious, the activites of other workers does not stand out as much but may actually be taking up more time. Like the time spent on the Dis for example

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

My boss and one other woman in our department is a smoker. They go down a few times a day. At first it used to bother me. A LOT. Particularly when I was working so hard and not even taking a full lunch!

Then I noticed my boss would encourage me to run out and grab a coffee or a snack or just some sunshine. She acknowledges that it's not fair to the rest of us so she is vigilent to make sure our needs are met as well.

I think she also looks the other way when she sees the DIS!

 

[WDW~Lover]

Thanks! I am so glad to hear I am not the only annoyed person with this!! The coffee and cig thing used to go on like posted above, with 2 workers, sorry 3, one was the BIG boss. I always hated it!

 

[MareQ]

that is how it SHOULD Be! Unfortunately the big company I worked for did not do that. And a lot of talk with big wigs who smoked and the others that did would have little "meetings" outside. Fair? NOT! For some reason around here I have not seen a company yet that does policy... and if they are, they are not enforcing it!

We have a fair policy. People get 2 15 minute breaks and either 30 minutes for lunch or an hour depending on their starting and ending time.

That's when you smoke - period.

One of the smokers complained when we instituted this policy awhile ago and our response was "Fine - go ahead and continue to get up and smoke when you please but you are then not allowed to use the bathroom or go to the lunch room for coffee except for break times and lunch. You decide which one is more important to you"

Yeah - suddenly the rigid smoke breaks weren't all that horrible

 

[puffkin]

At my last job there were a lot of smokers. We were all salaried, so no official breaks.

I never made up time for doctors appointments, personal phone calls or if I cut out a few minutes early for something. I figured our time essentially evened out.

When I transferred departments there I was pretty good friends with a smoker. Many times I would go out with her while she smoked...especially if the weather was nice.

The one lady that worked for me used to take a 15 minute walk in the afternoons outside to relieve stress. When my supervisor noticed I told her it was her "smoke" break and she was fine with it. Another lady would go outside and read a book for 15 minutes in the mornign and afternoon.

 

[shortyK]

Personally, I don't think it is anyone elses business. If the company allows it then deal with it. While a smoke break is obvious, the activites of other workers does not stand out as much but may actually be taking up more time. Like the time spent on the Dis for example

I agree with this - I don't mind that my co-workers chat in each other's cubes while I'm working - I just tune them out and get my stuff done. What difference does it make to me if someone goes out to smoke and chat - it's not taking anything away from me for them to do it.

I've heard similar complaints about parents being allowed extra time off for their kids' activities or sicknesses and non-parents wanting to know when they get time off. Life's just not fair sometimes - I try to stay positive and just take the good things I DO get

 

[suzanna1066@comcast.]

I smoke and go outside at work during the day. I am discreet and always wash my hands and make sure I am in a well venilated area so I don't bring the smell back into the office.
I am not getting any extra free time. While I am smoking, my colleagues are on the phone with personal phone calls, paying their bills, coordinating their kids extracirricular activities, kibbitzing with others, etc. Not to mention their frequent trips down to the Starbucks for a refill. I don't slack off and I get my job done---very well I might add. I think this is a bit unfair.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I know why it is allowed and tolerated.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we could smoke at our desks, no one noticed how much people smoked. Sure, the offices were stinking and everyone smelled like smoke, and the walls were always yellow and ashes were gross ... but the smokers smoked AND worked. There were no interruptions

Then, people got healthy and the goody-two shoers of the world made it so that smokers couldn't smoke at their desks any longer. Mayhem ensued. Restaurants lost business, smoking employees were cranky, nothing was being done and nerves were frayed.

So, employers got smart and said to the smokers, "Please, go outside whenever you need a smoke, we'll look the other way. Just, please, stop peeling your skin off because you can't smoke any more in the office."

It has just grandfathered down through the years.

The end.

 

[kelleigh1]

We're also salaried so no set breaks except for an hour lunch and if we do work through lunch, it's overtime.

I don't usually pay too much attention, but every now and then our HR director will bring it up again. Seems that none of our attorneys smoke, and only a handful of the staff does so it's not a big issue.

But, we only have 2 guys that work on our copy center / mail room and they both smoke. The problem comes right around lunch. One goes to lunch from 1-2 and the other from 2-3. Well, around 1:45, the 2-3 lunch guy will go out to have his "pre-lunch" smoke. Meanwhile, the other guy is on lunch. When he gets back at 2:00, he goes and takes a smoke break. So basically, for a full half hour at least, we have nobody covering the copy center and sometimes, you just really need something done in that half hour.

The fact that we work in a secure building and our office is located on the 6th and 7th floors, it takes time to get downstairs and outside and then you have to go through security to get back in, so sometimes the smokes can be gone for 1/2 hour or more.

Sure, some days it really irks me, but I've got bigger things to worry about.

 

[GeorgeG]

I believe is was Texas Instruments that decided to give non-smokers an extra four paid vacation days a year after they calculated that was how much time smokers took in extra breaks. That had to be at least ten years ago and I doubt it lasted. Besides, it wasn't a very good way to address the situation.

As a non-smoker, I could help notice how often the smokers were on smoke breaks. Most of the people who worked for me were on shift work with no official meal or break time. Other departments with normal workdays allowed a 30-minute lunch break and two 15-minute breaks during which smokers had to fit in their smoking. My department could be anything from very busy to very boring and I allowed smoke breaks according to that. The guiding factors were that the work got done and that non-smoking workers didn't get dumped on. Most were very considerate, but there were a few I would have to speak to on occasion. Non-smokers always got equal consideration with what I called "fresh air breaks."

 

[PatsMom]

We're all salaried and it doesn't bother me a bit when the smokers go out. I used to be one so I am sympathetic to them. But its just like taking personal calls or taking time for the kids, etc. If it doesn't impact me, I don't care. A lot more annoying than the smokers are the three or four individuals who manage to regularly show up for work, have a cup of coffee, and take the newspaper into the bathroom to read. There are only two bathrooms for 12 of us so when they are both occupied with people taking their time and reading, it does impact the rest of us.

 

[ICF]

Look at it this way....the smokers are likely to get a long break from the living too given their habit, while you (and the rest of us non-smokers) will hopefully go on enjoying life a lot longer.

 

[KimR]

I'll happily tolerate my co-workers taking smoke breaks rather than go back to the days of smoke-filled offices. You can't have it both ways.