# Smoking breaks during work hours



## Shawady (3 Feb 2010)

I was just wondering what other people's thoughts/experiences are with smoking breaks during work hours.

Management in my place of work have designated one outside area for smokers. However I work in a large facility and I was thinking that for some people to use this area, by the time they walk to it have their cigarette and go back to work they could lose 10-15 minutes. From what I can see , it is only a very small minority of my colleagues that smoke but if someone did this 4 times a day they could be losing an hours work a day.

Should smoking be done outside work hours or are employers required to accomodate smokers?
Just interested what happens in other areas of employment.


----------



## PyritePete (3 Feb 2010)

there are allowances made for smokers, which penalises non-smokers.There is also a perception among some bosses that people who smoke are somehow more stressed.


----------



## truthseeker (3 Feb 2010)

Shawady said:


> However I work in a large facility and I was thinking that for some people to use this area, by the time they walk to it have their cigarette and go back to work they could lose 10-15 minutes.


 
I once worked in a place where depending on where you were in the building it could take 5 minutes to get to the ladies loo. So some people who used the toilet more frequently lost more working time during the day.


----------



## Caveat (3 Feb 2010)

We don't have smoke breaks.  Aside from lunch we have a morning and afternoon tea/coffee break - anyone who wants to smoke nips outside for 5 minutes but the door is less than a minute away for everyone so there is no problem of time lost etc.

But in answer to your question, no, we don't have smoke breaks.

I worked in a place a few years ago that had 2 extra 7 minute breaks in addition to the morning and afternoon tea breaks which were ostensibly to accommodate smokers - but the actual break applied to everyone.


----------



## galleyslave (3 Feb 2010)

it's an issue for sure. I just post on askaboutmoney instead.. far cheaper and healthier...


----------



## nmesisca (3 Feb 2010)

No company has  "smoke breaks" 
By law you're entitled to a break in the morning, one in the afternoon, and your lunch break. whatever you do time passes exactly at the same rate.


----------



## DB74 (3 Feb 2010)

nmesisca said:


> No company has "smoke breaks"
> By law you're entitled to a break in the morning, one in the afternoon, and your lunch break. whatever you do time passes exactly at the same rate.


 
There is no law which states that you are entitled to a break in the morning and the afternoon

You are entitled to a paid half-hour break after working 4hrs 45mins (I think) but that is it.


----------



## nmesisca (3 Feb 2010)

DB74 said:


> There is no law which states that you are entitled to a break in the morning and the afternoon
> 
> You are entitled to a paid half-hour break after working 4hrs 45mins (I think) but that is it.



No, if you work on computers you MUST have a 15 min. break every 2 hours work.
Health and safety.


----------



## Caveat (3 Feb 2010)

nmesisca said:


> No company has "smoke breaks"


 
Well, my experience (and seemingly Shawady's) are examples to the contrary.


----------



## DB74 (3 Feb 2010)

Fair enough although I don't think that is enshrined in law.

Anyway I took from your original post that you meant every worker in the State was entitled to a morning and afternoon break.


----------



## Purple (3 Feb 2010)

DB74 said:


> There is no law which states that you are entitled to a break in the morning and the afternoon
> 
> You are entitled to a paid half-hour break after working 4hrs 45mins (I think) but that is it.



It's not paid and it's 15 minutes.


----------



## truthseeker (3 Feb 2010)

nmesisca said:


> No, if you work on computers you MUST have a 15 min. break every 2 hours work.
> Health and safety.


 
Have you got a link to that? I dont get 15 minutes every 2 hours and I work on a computer.


----------



## nmesisca (3 Feb 2010)

DB74 said:


> Fair enough although I don't think that is enshrined in law.
> 
> Anyway I took from your original post that you meant every worker in the State was entitled to a morning and afternoon break.



everyone is entitled to the time. though people that work on computers need to take such time every 2 hours.


----------



## DB74 (3 Feb 2010)

Purple said:


> It's not paid and it's 15 minutes.


 
I stand corrected. Thanks for that.


----------



## Deiseblue (3 Feb 2010)

Under the working time act 1997 workers who work in excess of 6 hours are entitled to a 30 minute break ( generally taken in 15 mins break morning and afternoon ) in addition to a 1 hour lunch break.
There are sectoral exceptions to the above but generally speaking the above should apply.


----------



## DB74 (3 Feb 2010)

Deiseblue said:


> Under the working time act 1997 workers who work in excess of 6 hours are entitled to a 30 minute break ( generally taken in 15 mins break morning and afternoon ) in addition to a 1 hour lunch break.
> There are sectoral exceptions to the above but generally speaking the above should apply.


 
That is slightly contrary to the info provided by Purple's link


----------



## Deiseblue (3 Feb 2010)

Sorry , missed Purple's link which fully outlines the position.
Can't really see where my understanding of the position differs.


----------



## DB74 (3 Feb 2010)

I don't see where employees (other than shop employees) are entitled to a 1 hour break in addition to a 30 minute break.

From what I can see, each employee is entitled to a 30-min break after 6 hours work. This 30-min break can include the 15-min break which would apply after 4.5 hours.

Shop employees are entitled to a 1 hour break if they work between 11:30am and 2:30 pm.

Which basically means that, for example, 9-to-5 office workers are only entitled to one 30-min break during the day with NO morning break and NO afternoon break.


----------



## Firefly (3 Feb 2010)

DB74 said:


> Which basically means that, for example, 9-to-5 office workers are only entitled to one 30-min break during the day with NO morning break and NO afternoon break.


 
That's it & exactly what's in my own contract.


----------



## TarfHead (3 Feb 2010)

And then there are those people, around here, take their 15/30 minutes breaks morning and afternoon, as well an hour for lunch, as well as smoking breaks.


----------



## liaconn (3 Feb 2010)

A few of those around here as well. Most people just nip out now and then for a quick cigarette and are back at their desk before you've missed them. But there are some who turn every smoking break into a social occasion.


----------



## PyritePete (3 Feb 2010)

liaconn said:


> A few of those around here as well. Most people just nip out now and then for a quick cigarette and are back at their desk before you've missed them. But there are some who turn every smoking break into a social occasion.


 
and therefore do less work...


----------



## nmesisca (4 Feb 2010)

PyritePete said:


> and therefore do less work...



I can say the same for (irish) people in my place of work that go for "tea break".
yeah, a 45 minute tea break at 9.15am.
still, I try to avoid going into this discussion because I know I would be generalizing, and thats never good.
I suggest some of you start doing the same before this thread becomes a "us against them" again.


----------



## Caveat (4 Feb 2010)

nmesisca said:


> I suggest some of you start doing the same before this thread becomes a "us against them" again.


 
What are you on about?


----------



## liaconn (4 Feb 2010)

caveat said:


> what are you on about?


 
+1.


----------



## Purple (4 Feb 2010)

Caveat said:


> What are you on about?



+1 (+1)

People who want to take a short break will do so. They can "make tea", "Have a smoke", "go to the loo" etc.

It's not that big a deal unless either bad management or bad employees make it into one. 
This is not a "them and us" issue.


----------



## Latrade (4 Feb 2010)

Caveat said:


> What are you on about?


 
I think the poster detected a potential "all smokers are workshy fops, spending all their time doing no work while I'm chained to the desk" mood. 

At least that's how I read the post.

In my opinion, every workplace has those who will waste as much time as they are at liberty to do so. Whether it be prolonged smoke or coffee breaks, reading the paper, upping their AAM post count (....), online shopping, altogether or individually, or whatever.

I'd be a liar if I said my focus at work was continuous and there weren't times I didn't ease off a bit when the opportunity arises.

As long as the work is done to the expected schedule, I've no problem with people having flexibility in how they approach the work. I do have problems with the colleagues who spend several hours telling me in great detail how busy they are and how much work they have piling up without actually touching any of it.


----------



## Firefly (4 Feb 2010)

"....before this thread becomes a "us against them" again. "

I read this to be PS v Public Sector, but will probably get my head chewed off for coming to that conclusion


----------



## Kine (4 Feb 2010)

Are all Public Sector workers smokers?! 

Seriosuly though, I remember reading where an employer (and I cant even remember which country) refused to hire any smokers as he said they lost X amount of time per smoke. I think he won in court too when challenged!

Will find the link if I can.


----------



## The_Banker (4 Feb 2010)

Latrade said:


> I think the poster detected a potential "all smokers are workshy fops, spending all their time doing no work while I'm chained to the desk" mood.
> 
> At least that's how I read the post.
> 
> ...


 
True, I am one of them! It use not be like that but years of disillusionment has led me down that path.
I don't smoke but I still manage to waste substancial amounts of time.


----------



## Firefly (4 Feb 2010)

I think this was an Irish co too if I remember correctly.


----------



## Mpsox (4 Feb 2010)

nmesisca said:


> everyone is entitled to the time. though people that work on computers need to take such time every 2 hours.


 
There is no legal requirement under the Working time Regultions for such a break, likewise the Display Screen Equipment Regualtions 2007 do not specify the frequency and duration of work breaks when working on a VDU.

It may be a good idea to take a break every 2 hours but it is not enshrined in law and best practices would be to allow for natural breaks in the workload so a VDU user is not "chained to the screen" all day long

See hear for more information
[broken link removed]

Brendan, if you're reading this, hope you're adhering to this policy !!!


----------



## PyritePete (5 Feb 2010)

i dont believe this is a them versus us situation, I make tea/coffee to escape from looking at my screen for too long ( another poster said a 15 mins break every 2 hours is recommended so this is what I do).

Its the smokers who make tea/coffee and have longer breaks = dossing. Maybe I should admire these people


----------



## nmesisca (5 Feb 2010)

PyritePete said:


> i dont believe this is a them versus us situation, I make tea/coffee to escape from looking at my screen for too long ( another poster said a 15 mins break every 2 hours is recommended so this is what I do).
> 
> *Its the smokers who make tea/coffee and have longer breaks = dossing*. Maybe I should admire these people



and you call it a non "us versus them" ???
thats exactly what i was "on about"


----------



## liaconn (5 Feb 2010)

I still can't see where you're coming from. Some of us are complaining that *some* smokers overdo the smoking breaks. How is that us -v- them?


----------



## PyritePete (5 Feb 2010)

liaconn said:


> i still can't see where you're coming from. Some of us are complaining that *some* smokers overdo the smoking breaks. How is that us -v- them?


 
+1,


----------



## Latrade (5 Feb 2010)

liaconn said:


> I still can't see where you're coming from. Some of us are complaining that *some* smokers overdo the smoking breaks. How is that us -v- them?


 
Yes but the thread and most of the comments are about the smokers and only the smokers. There are malingerers of all kinds in the workplace, some smoke, some don't. Why is it that only the smokers get any kind of mention in these discussions?


----------



## liaconn (5 Feb 2010)

Because the title of the thread is 'smoking breaks during work hours'. There was another thread about people using the internet during working hours, and another one about people abusing sick leave and so on and so on. We're discussing the topic on hand.


----------



## truthseeker (5 Feb 2010)

The biggest malingerer we ever had in the office managed to migrate from being a smoker to a non smoker - and still malinger, so it aint confined to just smokers!!

This guy (in his smoking days) would leave his desk every hour on the hour and go for a smoke for 7/8 minutes.

Then he quit smoking. Still he left the desk every hour on the hour. Mostly he was still going outside, not near the smoking area, but basically just hanging around for the same 7/8 minutes. Sometimes he went for tea - for 7/8 minutes, and other times (if the weather was bad and he had already been for tea) he just wandered round the building for 7/8 minutes.

His malingering was the same as both a smoker and a non smoker, leading me to believe - he was just a malingerer.


----------



## liaconn (5 Feb 2010)

I agree it's not just smokers. I used to work with a girl who walked into work in scruffy track suit and no make up and then spent about half an hour (while officially clocked in) showering, putting on make up, sorting out her hair etc. Then she would arrive back in the room all done up and start looking all busy and important and hassled . This was every single morning.


----------



## PyritePete (5 Feb 2010)

there is an element of "the less you do, the more you are appreciated".


----------



## gebbel (5 Feb 2010)

liaconn said:


> A few of those around here as well. Most people just nip out now and then for a quick cigarette and are back at their desk before you've missed them. But there are some who turn every smoking break into a social occasion.



The critical point here is what is being done about those who are, as you say, turning it into a social occassion. In my place of work these individuals would be quickly identified and pulled up over it. I have no problem with people taking one or two cigarette breaks outside their normal or official breaks, but only if they are being "covered" by somebody in their absence. My company do not permit a loss in effiency due to "cigarette break downtime", and I don't think it should be tolerated anywhere else either.


----------



## TarfHead (6 Feb 2010)

Maybe every office needs a Terry Tate  ?


----------

