Breaks at Work

[cc8s]

Is it legal for non-smokers to get less break than smokers? People at my work are forever going out for a smoke and it adds up pretty fast! They also say they need a cigarette if they want to be free for a few minutes. I don't get it.

I have come to the conclusion that those getting the most breaks are female(periods and 'emotions') smokers(crafty cigarettes every 30 minutes).

Winds me up. I might take up smoking so that I can get more breaks...

Anybody else found this?

[IforB]

Yep. Bugs me too. Though I know a few companies that have procedures to deal with it, such as docking 5 minutes for each fag break.

[Plotloss]

If you work with a monitor as a primary part of your work, you're entitled to 5 mins away from it every hour whether you smoke or not.

I often wonder of the cost to the country of the amount of whinging that non-smokers do...

[IforB]

I've got no problem with that. It's the people that do thoroughly take the p*ss that get to me.

I remember well the days of smoking at your desk and hardly being able to see the person next to you because of the fug. Christ it was like Life on Mars sometimes. I don't miss the stinking clothes though. Or the emphysema...

[AyBee]

A friend of my brothers actually took up smoking in order to have more breaks So in answer to your question, yes, they do!!

[Jake.]

Why don't you go out for a "fresh air break" each time the smokers go out? Nobody could complain about it.

[deevlash]

I banned fag breaks at one of my shops for a while as they were taking the piss. The worst was during a stock take when 4 staff members took an extra half hour each (I counted) and expected everyone else to carry their cancerous asses. I let the other 2 staff members go home an hour before we were done and made the smokers finish the counts for an hour. They really werent happy, I laughed quite a lot, especially when they had to stay for another half hour to sort the counts they'd screwed up because they were in a huff.

I also introduced "fresh air breaks" for the non smokers, they resulted in everyone getting out of the shop about an hour late every day and again the whinging smokers werent happy. The non smokers to their credit stuck it out and the point was made after about a week.

They didnt seem best pleased when I threatened to add up all their fag breaks for a week and on a friday afternoon Id do nothing but smoke a cohiba all afternoon for about 2 hours and theyd have to do everything on my list.

[deviant]

cc8s said:

Is it legal for non-smokers to get less break than smokers? People at my work are forever going out for a smoke and it adds up pretty fast! They also say they need a cigarette if they want to be free for a few minutes. I don't get it.

I have come to the conclusion that those getting the most breaks are female(periods and 'emotions') smokers(crafty cigarettes every 30 minutes).

Winds me up. I might take up smoking so that I can get more breaks...

Anybody else found this?

Did you post this at work?

[Don]

deevlash said:

I banned fag breaks at one of my shops for a while as they were taking the piss. The worst was during a stock take when 4 staff members took an extra half hour each (I counted) and expected everyone else to carry their cancerous asses. I let the other 2 staff members go home an hour before we were done and made the smokers finish the counts for an hour. They really werent happy, I laughed quite a lot, especially when they had to stay for another half hour to sort the counts they'd screwed up because they were in a huff.

I also introduced "fresh air breaks" for the non smokers, they resulted in everyone getting out of the shop about an hour late every day and again the whinging smokers werent happy. The non smokers to their credit stuck it out and the point was made after about a week.

They didnt seem best pleased when I threatened to add up all their fag breaks for a week and on a friday afternoon Id do nothing but smoke a cohiba all afternoon for about 2 hours and theyd have to do everything on my list.

Wonderful fun!

[crofty1984]

Often I just pop out for a chat with the smokers.

[Dracoro]

Jake. said:

Why don't you go out for a "fresh air break" each time the smokers go out? Nobody could complain about it.

It won't be very "fresh air" if they go out at the same time though

It will depend on the job/work I guess, personally I don't care how many breaks colleagues take for cig breaks, I get paid to do my job and they get paid to do theirs, as long as the work gets done it doesn't really matter. However, as I say, depends on the type of job, esp if time directly equals amount of work done.

[Mag1calTrev0r]

deviant said:

cc8s said:

Is it legal for non-smokers to get less break than smokers? People at my work are forever going out for a smoke and it adds up pretty fast! They also say they need a cigarette if they want to be free for a few minutes. I don't get it.

I have come to the conclusion that those getting the most breaks are female(periods and 'emotions') smokers(crafty cigarettes every 30 minutes).

Winds me up. I might take up smoking so that I can get more breaks...

Anybody else found this?

Did you post this at work?

What made you say that? He posted that at 1:15am (he may well be on nights of course)

[Jonny671]

Yep, i've wondered this too.. At work the smokers get to go out for more breaks whilst the rest of us, well me as i'm the only one who doesn't smoke, has to carry on with all the work.

[stifler]

I used to go for a cigarette break even though I didn't smoke. I got asked about it but the manager saw sense and was pretty fair about it. Try it, it might work for you.

[pilchardthecat]

IforB said:

I remember well the days of smoking at your desk and hardly being able to see the person next to you because of the fug.

I don't smoke anymore, as i would prefer not to be dead, but going to work hasn't been quite the same since being able to have a fag and a cup of coffee at my desk. It made everything somehow less work-like.

My desk now has fruit on it, rather than a packet of Golden Virginia and an overflowing ash tray

[davido140]

It's been a while since I was not self employed, but I was one of the 5 mins every hour chuffers.

Guilty as charged.

Completely see the OPs point, its not really very fair. Options are:

1) Start Smoking (it makes you look cool, and gets you extra time off work)
2) Go out with them anyway for a chat, or go to the other side of the office, kick some stones around the carpark, kill 5-10 mins in some other way
3) speak to boss to negotiate 30mins early home-time every day
4) shuddup-a-your-face and take it as one of those facts of life, relax in the knowledge they will all be dead before you anyway and you're far more likely to get that promotion or payrise because you dont stink and your productivity is so much higer. Unless of course the boss is a smoker, in which case your fked as he's really pally with all the other smokers. I refer you to option 1) its probably best for your career too..

Anyway, I'm off for a fag!

[AJS-]

Go stretch your legs, make a coffee, get some fresh air or talk to your fellow none smokers for a couple of minutes. And stop being so petty.

[Silent1]

do t get any breaks at work not even lunch if I'm hungy and haven brought food, tough.
Otherwise it's eat on the go

[bertie]

Plotloss said:

I often wonder of the cost to the country of the amount of whinging that non-smokers do...

Nothing compared to the cost of smokers to the country, I don't think we want to go down that route do we?

[davido140]

bertie said:

Plotloss said:

I often wonder of the cost to the country of the amount of whinging that non-smokers do...

Nothing compared to the cost of smokers to the country, I don't think we want to go down that route do we?

Actually lets...

smokers contribute 10 billion pounderoonies in duty and VAT on tobacco products every year.

Cost to the NHS? last estimate was that it was roughly 5 billion...

so thats 5billion spare, if everyone stopped tommorow there would be a 5 billion pound hole in the national budget. This doesnt factor in the money smokers SAVE the NHS and councils by popping their clogs early and not having to have home help, meals on wheels, day care, hips replaced and all the usual old age illnesses and of course claiming their state pensions for longer.

Short answer is, smokers do everyone a favour by stinking a bit and living shorter lives!

From a purely financial point of view the gubberment should be ENCOURAGING smoking! they do in certain areas of china!

Sources

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/news...

http://www.the-tma.org.uk/tobacco-tax-revenue.aspx

ETA by the way, to make up that missing 5 billion, every tax payer in the UK would have to pay roughly £200 a year extra tax to make up the shortfall!

Edited by davido140 on Monday 14th September 10:20