Going for Smoke Breaks at work

L

Luckycharm

Registered User
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This should probally be in the Letting off Steam section as it is something that does annoy me at times. I don't smoke but probally 50/60% of the people in work do. This will usually entail a smoke break for 5/10 mins every hour and half during working hours not lunch time. I do drink coffee and go every hour and half to get a cup of coffee this takes 2 mins max as waterboiler so don't have to wait for kettle to boil etc.
I always wonder if I decided every an hour and half to take a 10 min coffee break and read the paper for example I am sure this would be frowned upon but if I smoked and took the same time to have a ciggie this is accepted?
It is not something I would do but smokers do seem to get alot more flexibility as it is an addiction
Does any other non smokers feel the same?
 
I'm a smoker but am not entitled to any special 'smoking time/breaks'.

I smoke during the breaks that we all get, and only then. I thought this was fairly standard but maybe not?
 
I worked in a pub in the days pre smoking ban. I was a waitress and one day (when I was 8 months pregnant) we had been very busy and I had been on my feet for hours. I was shattered and went to sit down in the canteen for 5 minutes. Manager came in and wanted to know what I thought I was doing etc and I was to get back to work. Fair enough, it was an unofficial break but what bothered me was there were 3 other people (1 barman, 2 waiters) in the room with me having a smoke. I was the only one given out to simply because I was just sitting on my (heavily pregnant) backside but they were having a ciggie. Grrrr.


Happened in my last office too but nobody smokes in my current job so it's not an issue now.
 
I think most companies have a policy.

My last company had to bring in the polciy was smokers could have one mid morning and one mid afternoon and then they had lunchtime aswell. The reason being that one or two who were chain smokers were outside every other hour and so everyone else thought it was ok to do that aswell.

it did annoy me sometimes though because all the smokers used to go together so the phones would hopping and their breaks got longer because they were all out there yapping and smoking.

Start taking your coffee breaks at the same time as them and not going back until they were back. Fair is fair !
 

How long does it take you to drink the coffee? - surely the same time as it would take the smokers to finish their cigarettes - or do the smokers then come in and make a coffee as well?.
 
ney001 said:
How long does it take you to drink the coffee? - surely the same time as it would take the smokers to finish their cigarettes - or do the smokers then come in and make a coffee as well?.
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Well i'm a smoker and i have my coffee with everyone else.

Then when they all leave to go back to work i then go out for my cigarrette break.
 
ney001 said:
How long does it take you to drink the coffee? - surely the same time as it would take the smokers to finish their cigarettes - or do the smokers then come in and make a coffee as well?.
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I drink my coffee at my desk as I said it takes 2 mins to make a cup of coffee. Yep the smokers would then come in and make a coffee but someone getting a coffee/tea whatever is not an issue for me anyway.
For example my wife works in a creche some members of staff tend to smoke alot taking plenty of smoke breaks - this leaves the non smoking staff members with a higher ratio of kids which makes their job alot harder. Their job is hard enough without having to look after more kids which as any parent knows can be hard work!
 
Maybe they don't chat on AAM during working hours and so make up time that way
 
I am not a smoker but maybe if smokers were not able to take a smoking break they may become cranky and irritable and then productivity would go down.
 
Productivity is going down already because they take smoking breaks.
 
Is an employer allowed to ask a person if they're a smoker at interview stage?

From the people I know the average smoker smokes 15 per day. If this figure is applicable to most smokers then we could we assume that the average smoker smokes one cigarette per hour. Since they have to go outside to smoke you are probably looking at a 10 minute break every hour.(Not including picking up from where you left off work and settling back to work and the time your colleagues waste by looking for you if they need you on the phone, leaving a voicmail e.t.c.)

For arguements sake we'll say an hour on smoke breaks per day/ 5 hours per week or 240 hours per a 48 week year.
That equates to 6 weeks/30 days per 48 week year.
 
We have to clock out to go for smoke breaks, which is only fair really, so we're not smoking on 'Company Time'.
 
boaber said:
We have to clock out to go for smoke breaks, which is only fair really, so we're not smoking on 'Company Time'.
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Do they dock you or ask you to make up the time or do they turn a blind eye to it?
 
I would have thought it was pretty standard for smokers to only go for smoke breaks when there are actual breaks?

Any place I have ever worked ran by this system - therefore at say, 11am, or thereabouts, it's taken that you can have 5 or 10 minutes to make a cup of coffee or go for a smoke or just stretch your legs, then you have your lunch-hour, then at 3pm or thereabouts you again have a short break for coffee or a smoke (or both if you're organised )

I am a smoker myself and wouldn't dream of dropping work every hour and sauntering off for an extended 15 minute break. If I was busy, I'd forego the mid-morning or mid-afternoon break altogether, for either a cuppa or a smoke, as it's only a few hours til either lunch or finish time rolls round.

If it bothers you so much, though, why don't you go out when the smokers are taking a break to "stretch your legs" - I have seen it done before and nothing was said, as why should it if you are merely taking a break once mid morning and once mid afternoon.

I have to say though, I have never come across a workplace where smokers were taking off every 50 minutes or so for 15 minutes at a time.
 
Everybody takes unofficial breaks. They log on here, they go for a smoke, they spend too long in the toilet, they chat when they are making a cup of tea or coffee. I would never make anyone clock out for a smoke break or them bringing a cup of tea or coffee to their desk.
As long as on balance they work hard and work clever over the day it’s no big deal taking a smoke break.
 
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