Should smokers clock in and clock off?

[longfingernails]

Thought I would get away from the usual Labour/Tory arguments, and pick a no less contentious, but non-partisan subject to argue about instead!

A council is making their smokers clock in and clock off when they take breaks - they say the employees themselves, including the smokers, want this.

Is it a good way to ensure equity amongst staff, or just pointless bureaucracy?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315651/Council-forces-smoking-staff-clock-puff-work-non-smokers.html

Yes they should! It's a free break

are they going to make people who go for a shit/coffee clock in and off as well??

What about those people who stop for a natter in the office? Or use the internet during work hours

I used to work in a company where we clocked in and out for each break, tea break, walk, breath of fresh air or for the smokers. It was rediculous and you had to add up all the breaks at the end of the day, but it was fair.

Smokers shit and drink coffee and chat as well. So they are getting all the breaks non-smokers get, plus a bit extra. Which isn't really fair.

No.

My instinct is to be against it - it just seems like over-management to me. But if the employees themselves have asked for it, then maybe there is a case.

beansmum no they don't- they take their coffee/chat breaks when they have their fag breaks. Multitasking an all... no smoker would waste time chatting inside/casually drinking coffee when they could be outside smoking a fag. They're quite efficient with their down time :)

yes indeed Jareth - fag, coffee, chat - all in one - they go hand in hand pefectly.

And when you have no-one else to talk to MN does the job quite nicely

When I had my coffee breaks at work I always used to finish my coffee ages before my fag (twas very bad for me as I'd often smoke 2 fags so I could start my coffee with a fag and finish it with a fag )

nope - that's the wrong way round - i'd finish my fag way before my coffee

just thinking about this - if they have to "clock out" when they leave their desk. Does that mean if they go for a shit on the way back that time would be added on? Would they have to go back to their desk, clock back in, and then go for their shit?

well there is that coffee+fag induced bowl movement factor to consider.. hmm, tricky one

At my office they should as it involves down 3 flights of stairs across the car park & down the road to be off work premises. They can't take their coffee with them either! Some people do dock it from their flexi though.

I used to work in a care home where we didn't get breaks but smokers did as they couldn't smoke around the children but we could eat/drink & supervise. I hated being on shift with smokers, even worse when there was more than one as they would go together & discuss plans without including me!

i dont have a lunch break instead i have two or three cig breaks ad eat whilst working, if i eat at all.

I worked in a place where they did it, nobody was bothered. I also worked in another place where everyone was given 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon to do whatever they wanted: smoke, read the paper, stare at the walls. This worked better I think.

We eat whilst working anyway usually! I just sick of answering everyones phones when they go off for their fag break!

I like Panzees idea

actually, yes.

by the time someone has left their desk, gone outside, had the fag, come back in and sa back down, they've been what? 10 minutes (and that's assuming they don't stand out there and natter with other smokers!) so how many cigs in a working day? 5? 6? 7? 8?

supposing it's 6 - 6 x 10 minutes = 60 minutes. That's a whole hour they're getting paid for every day. that's 5 hours a week. that's 240 hours a year. on minimum wage that's £1,392 a year paid for smoking breaks. That's what a smoker gets on top of all the other coffee/loo/etc breaks that people are mentioning here and that everyone takes!

nymph - why can't they take their coffee with them

Hecate - think the most fags I ever managed to smoke in a working day (or night) was 10 - but that was when was back in Zim - and I was working in a school so I had break times and lunchtime to chain smoke.

I like Panzees idea too -

Yes I think it's fair. I used to work in a big office where quite a few people smoked.

They'd all exit together for a fag leaving a deserted ship and about 4 of us left to answer all the constantly ringing phones

Mind you it wasn't a clocking in and out type of workplace. It did cause a lot of resentment though as I recall.

MaMoTTaT- by the time they got to fag place it would be cold ( unless they had proper cup) + people would object to cups going up & down all those stairs ( big on H&S!)

Am assuming btw as I've never seen anyone take a drink with them

Yes they should.

When I worked at the Home Office (1991-94) a woman in our office used to get up and say "I'm going for a non-smoking break" She initially got into a shit load of trouble for it with the management, took it to the union and it was agreed that everyone in the office (about 200 of us) were entitled to so many 5 min breaks a day to do with what we wanted- nip out to get a sandwich, have a fag, or just go for a natter by the tea urn.

Smokers where my DH works are 'allowed' to go out for fags, and he has added up that some of them spend an HOUR A DAY away from their desks from going for fags!!! This might be an extreme example but I don't see why smokers should work less hours than non smokers.

Pre mat leave I was in a team leader role and I nipped excess fag breaks in the bud - they were allowed one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Firm but fair, I felt.

I just think more wasted time to be honest. As rather than getting their coffee (if they can't take it with them ), and going to the toilet on the way to/back from their desk. They're going to have to go back to their desk, clock back in and then wander off again for coffee/wee.

Surely it should be any time away from the desk/not working has to be made up later. Then the smokers who don't drink as much coffee as their neighour at the next desk, make personal calls, go on the internet, chat won't be feeling it's unfair as they spend more time working than their colleauge.

Blimey imagine every worker in the country was made to clock out before doing anything not work related - I bet we could half the working day and still get as much productivity into it

When I was a smoker I used to go for a cigarette or two a few times during the day. I'd bring a coffee and have a chat with other smokers but we'd generally be talking work. Or I'd take a report with me to proof-read or some other work I could do.

When I stopped smoking I still used to take the breaks. I found it very beneficial to get away from my desk to stretch my legs, rest my eyes and get a breath of fresh air.

ginger - has he added up how many hours the caffeine addicts and those with smaller/weaker bladders (perhaps the same people if they drink so much coffee ) spend away from their desk. Or how much time people at their desks spend on the internet/chatting/making personal calls/daydreaming.

Or has he just targeted the smokers on their "smoking" breaks

I personally put my very strong Pelvic Floor down to drinking too much coffee while working, and using my breaks to go for a fag rather than a wee