Other staffs endless cigarette breaks. AIBU?

[ChrisTrepidation]

Quite a number of the small staff team where I work are smokers. In fact we probably have more smokers than none smokers. I don't smoke.

The smokers are in the habit of stepping out for a cigarette break on a very regular basis. I worked a shift with smoker staff yesterday and they were going outside for five minute breaks approximately every half hour!

I don't begrudge anybody taking a break but AIBU to be starting to get annoyed at all the extra off the floor time the smokers are gaining? If I took a break every half hour it would be considered very odd but the smokers just get away with it.

I'm considering raising the issue with my line manager. Would I be in the right to do so?

@mavismorpoth OP is working more for the same money. I mean if you want to get technical, it doesn't directly affect her, if they get their breaks removed OPs working day will remain the same but that's a slippery slope you are on there... I wouldn't be happy to have different working conditions to my colleagues and be getting paid the same for it.

hm, no, it's petty.

There are always people slacking off to varying degrees. I would focus on my own output. I just can't see the issue with what other people do, unless it has a negative impact on you or someone else. this can only have a negative impact on them career-wise and if they're gaining from it again, who cares? How is it my problem? I just don't get it.

I've worked in workplaces like this. So glad I don't have to anymore. Its a joke, really the management should only allow them to go during their actual break so it's down to bad management really.

I might add that smokers are all objectively vile

Are their breaks effecting your workload? If not I couldn’t care. The last thing I’d want to do is encourage my employer it bring in enforced/structured breaks if you can currently get up whenever you like.

if it is then talk to your manager

I've just read the part u said ye don't get any breaks. In which case, I'd probably say nothing but take the 5 mins your coworkers get for yourself. If you bring it up it might become no breaks for anybody.

Buy yourself an "I'm 'aving a fag" teeshirt and put it on every half hour whilst you take your own break.

I’ve never smoked and ‘Fag break, really piss me off.
This happened at the clothing factory where I worked. We clocked in and out at the beginning and end of each shift. We didn’t have to clock off going for toilet breaks but people were leaving the machines during their shifts outside of normal break times to go for a fag, it slowed production down. The manager went outside one day, took note of how many were outside and docked them all an hours pay.
After that we all had to clock in and out when leaving the factory, we didn’t have to if we were leaving the machines and staying inside for the toilet or to collect more work but as soon as anyone stepped into the lobby the clock machine was right in front of them.

Is it worth the bad feeling it would cause if you reported it
I am self employed but when I was employed I never worried about things like smoking breaks,personal calls etc
I just got on with my work
Up to management to sort it out

You are entitled by law to breaks every 6 hours worked. If your working under 6 hours just say your going to the loo/get a drink.

It’s not petty, they are working less but being paid the same.
OP and other non smokers are picking up the slack caused by this practice.
They aren’t on the shop floor so are not working.
It caused loss of production at a place I once worked in. Think a row of machinists working on making clothing, M1 stitches a box full of cut out garments, 20:garment to a box. She stitches the back seams of those 20 garments, she then passes the box to M2 who is supposed to put the zips into the garments only she isn’t there, she’s out having a fag break, meanwhile M3 is sat there twiddling her thumbs unable to do her part of the process, until M2 comes back and so on down the line.

No. It’s one break for more than 6 hours, not per 6 hours. Work 12 hours and it’s still 1 20 minute unpaid break.

He worked on some kind of oil site in the Middle East so they had to be a safe distance from flammableness (I know very little about it).

@mavismorpoth it affects me because they are off the floor for times I'm not on numerous occasions throughout the day.

Therefore if staff are needed for a task (don't want to say too much regarding my job as its outing) its the staff left on the floor who will be asked to do it. That person being me because I don't smoke!

@MandyMotherOfBrian Classic I.T crowd episode there🤣

@Theglowofcandles Are you one of the smokers though?😅

Used to work in a place like this...never bothered me until l got in trouble for being on a quick private call once.

Lost my shit with the manager who said l had a fair point .

It's annoying and the time adds up.
My boss was a smoker and he used to slope off to the smoking room for a coffee and a fag, regularly disappearing for 20/25 minutes at a time. I really didn't care because we each had a certain amount of responsibilities and work. But one day one of my colleagues came in a bit late and my boss kicked off. But my colleague pointed out how many hours in the day he was missing from work and how other people had to answer the phone etc. I'd never really looked at it like that but he was right. Yes, my boss was on the premises, but he wasn't around and I didn't want to wade into a smoke filled room to get him.
I also worked in an office where people went outside to smoke. If I'd said I'm going out to sit in the sun and read my book for 10/15 minutes very hour or two, there'd have been outrage!

I had this....I used to go out for a break when they came in!

Because they have to take up the slack, not all of us work in offices where work can just be left until later.
I used to work in a secure environment, minimum 3 staff. The other 2 staff would often be off the ward smoking while I was left alone.

So? How long does a smoking break take? It's not as though there were going off for an hour at a time surely? I go to work, do my job, and come home - I don't spend time worrying about some perk that someone else might be getting, or acting as though I'm the only one doing any work.

Drove me crazy at one place. I suggested all non smokers got a half day off e.g. Friday pm to compensate. Of course that suggestion was dismissed. I used to stop work when a manager went out for his cig breaks and start again when he came back.

My husband worked somewhere where this happened, he would go out every single time

My friend worked at a Nursery where about half the staff smoked and had 3 ten minute smoking breaks a day on top of lunch break. At the end of the day the non smokers went home at 5.30 and smokers stayed till 6, this worked out as there were less children at that time of day so didn't affect ratios.