How many cigarette breaks while at work?

[Booboostoo]

OK this is driving me bonkers and I need some perspective.

I have a nanny/groom who works 9-12 and 2-5. She smokes which I knew before she started and we agreed that she would not smoke around DD (she doesn't smoke around the horses either as it's dangerous when handling them and also hay is very flammable).

I am annoyed that she takes so many cigarette breaks. Typically she arrives for work at 9am but has a cigarette break straight off so she can't help out until 9.15. She then takes another cigarette break somewhere in the middle of the morning and tries to leave at 11.45 to have another cigarette break (she doesn't smoke in her car, but only lives 5 minutes drive away so I don't know why she doesn't smoke at home). Same thing in the afternoon, has a cigarette break as soon as she arrives, another one in the middle and one before she leaves.

She smokes so often she now smokes around DD on walks - DD on one hand, cigarette on the other. She is trying to hide the cigarettes from DD but I don't see how this will work longterm.

She did say when she started work that she was trying to quit but that was two years ago and if anything she smokes a lot more now. I appreciate smoking is addictive and she doesn't have control over it and I don't smoke but AIBU? Should I just live with it?

[expatinscotland]

Get rid.

[AnyFucker]

Find another nanny/groom

She is taking the piss

[AnyFucker]

btw, why the 2 hour break in the middle of the day ?

I would sort that too

split shifts are an unfair thing to enforce, if that is what you are doing

[cantspel]

none. She should smoke in her own time. i have never worked anywhere that allows you to wander of for a fag when ever you feel like it.

[DeepRedBetty]

As a smoker I'm appalled. She either has to change her job or get a grip.

Would you permit her to use e-cigarettes if that was the method she chose to help her stop?

[StuntGirl]

I agree, get rid of her.

She isn't even entitled to any breaks on those shift patterns anyway.

[jacks365]

Clear breach of conditions ie smoking round dd so i agree get rid. YANBU personally my view is smoke in your own time not mine.

[Gerrof]

I would as well.

She can go for 3 hours without a fag. She shouldn't have a fag break at all with those hours imo.

As for walking your dd with one hand, fag in another that is completely unreasonable.

And I say this as a scumbag smoker.

[LemonPeculiarJones]

Get rid of her immediately.

All those breaks, and smoking all over your DD?

It's a no-brainer.

[aldiwhore]

I'm a smoker, used to smoke 20 a day easily... I have only EVER smoked on my lunchbreak. My usual day at work is ciggy BEFORE I start (so 8.55am in your employees case), one at lunch and one after work.

I think you need to tell her she either has to cut down herself (it could be said that if may be reasonable for her to have one at 10.30am on a short break? for example?) or will have to formalise her working day.

I would speak to her first, be straight with her, tell her it's not acceptable and that you expect things to improve, give it a couple of weeks and see what happens. If nothing changes, let her go.

[Chocotrekkie]

Is it worth saying to her that she is being paid or 6 hours work. If she wants to start at 9.15 then she stays till 12.15 ?

Need to emphasise no smoking while holding child's hand.

[AnyFucker]

Is this employee a friend, a friend-of-a-friend or a relative, perchance ?

[BenjaminButton172]

Get rid.

Some people assume that because they smoke they should get more breaks than those who dont.

We had a person starting at our work and the first thing they asked was when do we get a cigarette break.

[ElleMcFearsome]

Good grief - at work (office based) I had one cigarette break about 10.30am and one at about 3pm. Each one less than 5 minutes, but I only took half an hour for lunch rather than the full hour. I think I'd have been disciplined for taking that many breaks...

Also what Choco said - no smoking around DCs.

[tazzle]

She will just have to control it like anyone else that smokes and works many of them unable to take a break when they want and have to wait till its possible / convenient / scheduled. Three hours is not unreasonable to go without .

[waikikamookau]

I have one before work, 8.50, one at 11 ish, one in lunch break and one around 3.30 ish, finish 5. 5.30 ish and have one then

so in reality during working hours it is 3

[Crinkle77]

I am a smoker but even I find this unacceptable behaviour. You need to tell her that if she smokes then she must have one before she gets to your house. If she is entitled to a break tell her she can have a cigarette when she is on her break but not during her work time. She should not be smoking before she leaves. She should have one on her way home. Saying that I would be inclined to get rid as she is smoking around your daughter and that is not right

[waikikamookau]

I think you should mention that she should be starting working at 9, rather than 9.15,

[StuntGirl]

Also, if she starts work at 9am she needs to be arriving about 5/10 minutes earlier so she is ready to actually start at 9am. If she wants to smoke before starting she needs to arrive even earlier.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

I smoke and can set my own smoke breaks at work. I do not bother having one at all on my three hour shift, unless it is exceptionally quiet and I've done all the cleaning.

On my evening shift (7 hours) I have one after three or four hours work, depending upon how busy it is and then a further one or two an hour or two later, again depending on how busy it is.

I don't have one as soon as I start, because I arrive 5 minutes early in order for me to have a smoke before I start, anything else would be taking the piss.

Give her a warning.

[waikikamookau]

never mind the smoking, you have issue with her taking Breaks. might be an easier way of raising it.

[BegoniaBampot]

would be a no way for me thought TBh I probably wouldn't employ a smoker who would have sole charge of my children as I wouldn't trust them not to smoke when they were on their own.

[ShadowStorm]

The smoking policy at my work is that smokers are only allowed one 5 min cigarette break in the morning and one 5 min cigarette break in the afternoon (plus as many as they can fit into their lunch break).

I think if she wants a cigarette before starting work, she should arrive at 8:45 so that she's ready to actually start work at 9am. Equally, she should wait until after working hours are finished to have her last cigarette, instead of trying to finish 15 minutes early to have the cigarette.

[MusicalEndorphins]

Well, I never heard of a job giving any breaks other than the mandatory ones. Which would be 15 minutes coffee break in am, a 30 minute lunch, and 15 min. pm break. If you smoked, that was when you had the chance to light up. A 3 hour shift such as she works would not even get any break.
If she were working for me, I would tell her no more breaks in those 2 3 hr shifts. And no smoking while out and about with the child, and if she did you would have to let her go.

[ENormaSnob]

Get rid.

She isn't trust worthy and is taking the piss with breaks and timekeeping.