Smoking breaks @ work

[serendipia1907]

Hello there

Was going to ask if there are any smokers who can't go for a cigarette while at work, except their lunch break.

Just curious. Thanks

This is a subject that pisses me off no end..
I work either a 5 hour or a 4 hour shift. On my 5 hour, we get one 10 min break PLUS. two fag breaks for the smokers ( taking anything from 5min upwards).
On my 4 hour, no break but two fag breaks for the smokers ( again anything from 5 min).
Boss is a heavy smoker so couldn't care less!

I don't smoke now but one of my colleagues does and he keeps going out for cigarettes even though it's banned in our workplace. He stands in the car park/on the corner/down the road.

It doesn't seem as though he is having more breaks... he is having more breaks. I recon he spends an hour a day out there.

It totally pisses me and the rest of the team off but he's new to the organisation so I expect he'll get pulled up on it soon. I've been with the company for a long time and I've tried gently mentioning that it doesn't go down well but he's not one to listen.

He will be involved soon and rightly so. It takes the piss!

HR

If you were out there for a ridiculous amount of time and using it as an excuse then I get it. Other than that 5 mins twice a day during working time is not an issue. I would not actually work for a place that had such stringent ideas. Staff that are lazy are just that and staff that are judgemental the same.

I'd get rid of them both.

I used to go about once an hour. Those were the days. Gave up when I got knocked up though. And don't work any more anyway.

DP used to get 15 mins morning and afternoon breaks with a 30 minute lunch at last job. Now its one 15min break and his lunch no other breaks.

I would not actually work for a place that had such stringent ideas. Staff that are lazy are just that and staff that are judgemental the same.

I'd get rid of them both.

😂😂😂 Yeah, okay then.

Your potential colleagues would be better off without a smoker taking extra breaks than everyone else to slowly kill themselves.

I used to go about once an hour.

That is massively taking the piss.

I know! I totes got away with it for about a decade tho. It helped that I was VERY efficient and good at my job 😊

We can but i work in care so its either taken off our lunch break as its not fair on the non smokers. Its mostly on breaks but is normally spread out through out the day 12hr shifts. We now have a sign out book so we dont take this piss with how much we go out .

On the plus side, non smokers are less likely to die of lung cancer and waste less money burning stuff. So that's ... kind of a win in the long run?

I don't smoke but a couple of my colleagues do. They can only smoke at lunchtime and they have to be a certain distance from the school gates.

Where I work, we use the flexi system, so I can (technically) have as many cigarette breaks as I want as long as I clock out, that way I'm using my own time, which is a lot fairer.

Although I probably spend a lot less time smoking than some of my colleagues spend chatting at the tea point, and they don't have to clock out!

We can take breaks whenever we want, as long as it's not during a meeting or something. You're still expected to do 8 hours work a day, though. I don't smoke, but I've certainly taken fresh air breaks from time to time, which has helped keep me sane.

It's not entirely clear cut, anyway - I have had some very productive discussions with people in the kitchen area while getting a drink. And when our director is here (he's not based on our site,) joining him on one of his smoking breaks can be a good way to get a one-to-one private chat about work issues.

Obviously, we work in an environment where it's possible to leave your desk at almost any time; this isn't the case in many jobs, and if you're in the sort of workplace where you can only take set work breaks (if that), then everyone should be getting the same.

I know! I totes got away with it for about a decade tho.

So you were aware you were taking the piss and being exceptionally unfair to other colleagues, yet still continued to do it and now seem proud you got away with it for so long?

I did my job to an exceptional, award winning degree, and was the only person who did my role so what I did or didn't do didn't affect anyone else. Chill out! 😂

In my current role we have scheduled breaks, which are to include anything 'personal'- smoking, eating, getting a drink, toilet time, checking your phone etc. Management are exempt from this rule.

In my previous role, no scheduled breaks, and I could take 2 additional smoke breaks a day. This wasn't specified in the contract, it wad just allowed.
However the same applied to anyone really, smoker or not. You could take 5 minutes out, generally, twice a day, in addition to the 30 min lunch. Whether that be to make a quick breakfast to eat at your desk, make a cuppa, take/make a personal phone call. Oh and unlimited toilet time! (I can't believe as an adult I have to appreciate going to the loo when I need to but thats another discussion)
It was very flexible, but no one took the piss and the workload didnt suffer.
Generally, people worked more than their hours anyway, coming in earlier, leaving later, lunch at their desks, which allowed for the flexibility.

I think smokers shouldn't be given special treatment tbh, either everyone gets the same level of flexibility or not.

@abacuss 😂😂😂😂 every cloud

Where is OP? Suddenly this feels like a journo question...

I've always worked in offices where you can take what breaks you want as long as you don't totally take the piss and you get the job done. I'm not a smoker but I don't mind at all that smokers take fag breaks.

MistressPage Whether you were good or shit at your job is irrelevant; you were still majorly taking the piss.

And the fact that you were the only person in your particular role is irrelevant too - you were still taking far too many breaks to go off and slowly kill yourself.

couple of smokers where I work just take it upon themselves to go out for a break together. Everyone clocks it but no one comments. There are no official breaks though.

Whattodoaboutthis2017 I know! I massively took the piss! And got away with it! And won awards for being really really good at doing my job! I'm sorry, you must find that really annoying

MistressPage No, I don't find it annoying because I've thankfully never worked with you.

I'm just surprised that someone supposedly so good at her job cared so little for company time or her colleagues feelings.

Mistresspage

My workplace treats us like adults and we can have as many breaks as we want as long as we do our jobs and meet deadlines.