To think smokers are thoughtless at work

[RooksAndRavens]

There are several smokers in my workplace (school) and some of them I work directly with. During this morning's meeting, the smokers popped in and out several times over the course of 2 hours or so. Everytime they came back in, the smell of cigarette smoke was quite strong and even though two of the ladies tried to cover it up with perfume spray, they did this in the same room. The smell of that was also strong as the spray floated everywhere, even near drinks.

AIBU to think they're being a bit thoughtless to the rest of us? We were in a planning meeting after all.

Hi. New 40 y/o (male) member, zero kids and probably wont ever have anything. The only thing I pull these days is a door that says "push" lol.

The thing with smokers is, they can't smell it like we do. Cigarettes are horrendous smelling things and if you think about, that smoker probably smokes in their house and their car. Their sense of smell has lost a LOT of its finesse. You'll notice they probably smell of too much cologne or perfume another time, too. Or in the case of men, they will smell of BO because they themselves can't smell it.

I have to get the bus at the moment and, there's one guy on it every morning who smokes the entire wait for the bus. He sits INSIDE the shelter smoking. With winter approaching, that's going to get really boring for me, because there's no way I am standing outside the shelter on a cold, rainy and windy morning. But, when ON the bus, the bus literally smells like an ashtray when he gets on, which for me, is worse than the smoke coming off while it's lit.
I have had the misfortune a few times to already be on the bus when he gets on. He reeks. And he "looks" like a smoker, too. Bad/over aged skin and you can tell he's one of those smokers for whom breakfast is a black coffee and 3 fags. So he's quite gaunt. He "looks" grey, if you know what I mean.

A year or so back, a teenager lit up at the back of the bus. No one said anything, not even the driver. That really annoyed me so I had to confront him and told him either put it out or walk. So he chose A. Obviously when he got off the bus, I recieved the middle finger and "kn0b head!!" Ironic really because he's the one breaking the law and knocking minutes of life off every time he smokes a fag, lol.

So, the question "Do you think smokers are thoughtless at work" should really be "Do smokers care where they smoke?" and I'd say, they don't think about it, they can't smell it and they presume you can't smell it either. Obviously there will be one or two smokers who knows cigarettes stink, but they just don't give 1 sh1t.

Sorry for long reply.

Gareth.

Planning meeting? So SLT? Leaving multiple times during a meeting?

I have worked in offices for 30 years, I have never once heard anyone come back from a smoking break having come up with a strategy to sort out the pressing problem of the day. How can that work, the smoking group is usually a random selection of people from various parts of the building who don't have a shared task. It made me smile to think they are all out there blue sky thinking .

I'd disagree with you in that example. Having that time out can give the space for things to slot together.

It's one of the reasons why I have a fag break without actually having a cigarette - a bit of movement, daylight, fresh air, no more bloody powerpoints or as they're termed now, 'decks' for five minutes - if people could be given 'outside thinking breaks' (some schools use 'movement breaks' for exactly the same reason) as routine, they'd be described as a great new management technique, but smokers have had the right idea about that for around a century.

In my workplace smokers have to clock out for fag breaks.

Apart from that I am astonished that the staff the OP talks about cannot go without smoking for two hours.

I hate the smell of perfume more.
The smokers i know don't smell. Just a whiff occasionally if you're very close. Never experienced a noxious cloud coming back into the office.
I'm glad of the breaks as a chance to go to the toilet.😊

I thought this was going to be about smokers taking multiple regular breaks throughout their days that you as a non-smoker don't. In anycase it's unreasonable for anyone smoking or not to pop in and out of a two-hour planning meeting. This is why meetings drag - just get the damn thing over with!

Depends where you work. There were plenty of smokers in my own team. So we'd go out and discuss work. Whilst smoking. And other teams in the building linked in to our team as well. As our work was alligned. Different parts of the bigger machinery so to speak. So a great networking opportunity for the smokers there. In fact, it was so successful I even got several promotions through my networking :-)

Where I last worked it was not done to leave meetings for a smoke break.

I have never worked anywhere where it would be acceptable to leave a 2 hour meeting at regular intervals for any reason other than to nip to the loo.

I'm a smoker but I wouldn't DREAM of leaving a meeting for a smoke break, nor would any of my colleagues. Our boss would hit the roof for a start!

Average in our workplace is one in the morning & one in the afternoon, maybe an extra if it's especially quiet or someone is having an especially rough day. We don't go out together as getting chatting leads to a longer break.

Wow. Piss poor workplace.

I agree with this.

There are a lot worse odours in my job 😷

It’s abundantly clear they’re nicking off for a smoke, so why is that okay? If you wanted to zot off for a mars bar, people would say something. Smokers get extra breaks in offices and come back reeking. Not to mention smoking around doorways. Bleh!

Fagging and talking about strategy?! Give over.

ive worked in an office and they dont talk about work. They gossip. All the best information and scandals from smokers!

if they go out, i gave a break too, its only fair. When i come back the bonus is i dont smell.

Clearly not all offices / people / or job responsibilities are the same then are they.

Yanbu it is vile isn't it. The perfume makes it worse as it's 2 distinctive rank smells.

I couldn't care less. I would rather smell cigarette smoke than perfume tbh.

You could ask them. I used to smoke on a small balcony and then neighbours upstairs asked me to stop. I was so embarrassed that it hadn't crossed my mind that it would effect them.

I agree. This is like the smokers who say non smokers often come out and join them because they're 'more fun' than non smokers.

I have never encountered smokers at work that do that. Certainly not that would repeatedly leave a meeting.

Yes a bit thoughtless but it's an addiction. The fact they spray perfume is not for their own benefit but a nod to the fact that they are aware that some find the smell repulsive. Smokers feel your judgement even though you may not say anything directly.

In 25 years I’ve never worked anywhere where people left a two-hour meeting for a cigarette. Literally never.

The smell is neither here nor there. Some people are bothered by it, some aren’t. Ditto perfume. It’s a personal thing. But it’s a fucking bizarre workplace where there are people wandering in and out of meetings all the time to smoke and passively aggressively spraying perfume at each other.

The HT needs to get a grip - nobody needs to leave a 2 hour meeting for a smoking break.