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[Tabris]

8+ hours of non-stop work is the most un-productive thing ever.

I guarantee if you take 5-10 minute breaks every hour, you'll be more productive (where appropriate, as you may be in the middle of something and then you backload or front load your break). Whether that's grabbing a smoke, browsing the internet, or just getting up and grabbing a banana or a coffee.

Now I know saying this doesn't apply to a good amount of people as you have companies and workers where they think this isn't acceptable. It's an old school traditional factory / assembly line culture, that is very common in North America, especially East Coast.

The workplace revolution is coming out of certain European countries and the west coast of North America (Vancouver, Silicon Valley, Seattle, etc) where they understand that proper work / life balance (overall, there will always be crunch times) and proper breaks lead to more productive workers for less hours.

**EDIT - This applies to the office / corporate culture.

 

[Tabris]

Smoke breaks by themselves do not bother me. What bothers me is they act as a sort of shadowy, unlogged break time, where people can take 10-15 minute breaks 2-3 times a day that aren't counted towards their lunch or off time during the day.

Or that has been my experience, at least. Smokers are not held accountable for that time. If a smoker heads outside for a smoke, that is not counted against him; if a worker takes a 15 minute break just to surf the internet, that is frowned upon. It's a sort of "out of sight, out of mind" phenomenon that really bothers me in the unwritten rules of office politics.

Bolded is the issue, not the smoke break.

I recommend everyone read this sometime - http://fourhourworkweek.com. A lot may not apply to you as it's based on him as a business owner, but he understands that time does not equate productivity, and talks about how businesses and individuals can be more productive.

 

[Arjen]

They get smoke breaks, you get not being addicted to smoking. As a smoker I would trade places with you in a heartbeat.

 

[phisheep]

If you're working in a big company the time to complain is after smoking breaks are banned and you suddenly find that all the informal communication between departments and up and down from workers and management suddenly stops because it all happened in smoke breaks.

 

[railGUN]

They get smoke breaks, you get not being addicted to smoking. As a smoker I would trade places with you in a heartbeat.

Then quit?

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Look at it this way, they're probably going to die younger than you so their time is more valuable.

 

[Samara]

I know your pain OP. I worked in a fast food restaurant and it was mainly the 2 of us. She would take smoke breaks at clean up time, ah!

So I just started taking extra long on my way to the bathroom.

 

[Arjen]

Then quit?

I'm trying.

 

[batbeg]

I work in retail and we're all provided with the same amount of breaks regardless. 2 15 minute breaks, one half hour lunch. So for us smokers, breaks and lunch are just extended smoke breaks. It'd be a lot healthier and more productive, I imagine, if I could just take a smoke break when I need a cigarette, but instead I'm chain smoking on dedicated breaks. Good news is people rarely bitch about my smoking breaks!

 

[Kano on the Phone]

I work in retail and we're all provided with the same amount of breaks regardless. 2 15 minute breaks, one half hour lunch. So for us smokers, breaks and lunch are just extended smoke breaks. It'd be a lot healthier and more productive, I imagine, if I could just take a smoke break when I need a cigarette, but instead I'm chain smoking on dedicated breaks. Good news is people rarely bitch about my smoking breaks!

Haha, come on now.

 

[Novocaine]

Let them smoke. You don't want to have to deal with a smoker deprived of nicotine.

Haha, come on now.

Actually, I agree with him.

At my work I get 1 hour total of paid breaks a day. I don't smoke any more but when I used to I would take 1 half hour lunch break in the middle, and then once an hour I would take a 5 minute break and go out for a smoke. I was much more productive at my job doing it that way. I don't know about the healthy thing, it would be around the same. I guess it stopped me from chaining 3 in a row on longer, further apart breaks.

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

Just another reason why retail sucks. Remember that this is short term.

 

[entremet]

Smoke breaks by themselves do not bother me. What bothers me is they act as a sort of shadowy, unlogged break time, where people can take 10-15 minute breaks 2-3 times a day that aren't counted towards their lunch or off time during the day.

Or that has been my experience, at least. Smokers are not held accountable for that time. If a smoker heads outside for a smoke, that is not counted against him; if a worker takes a 15 minute break just to surf the internet, that is frowned upon. It's a sort of "out of sight, out of mind" phenomenon that really bothers me in the unwritten rules of office politics.

15 minutes?

When I used to smoke it was 4 minutes tops. That's crazy.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

Let them smoke. You don't want to have to deal with a smoker deprived of nicotine.



Actually, I agree with him.

At my work I get 1 hour total of paid breaks a day. I don't smoke any more but when I used to I would take 1 half hour lunch break in the middle, and then once an hour I would take a 5 minute break and go out for a smoke. I was much more productive at my job doing it that way. I don't know about the healthy thing, it would be around the same. I guess it stopped me from chaining 3 in a row on longer, further apart breaks.

The productive part wasn't the part I was taking issue with.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

15 minutes?

When I used to smoke it was 4 minutes tops. That's crazy.

Smoke 100s

 

[batbeg]

Haha, come on now.

Come on now what? Until I started this job 3 years ago I'd never smoked a cigarette after another in my life. Now chain smoking is part of my every day routine. At my prior job I'd go out for a cigarette about every hour and a half, or maybe two hours. Now every two hours I go out, smoke two cigarettes, or on lunch, three/four cigarettes, then again after a couple hours. I'm not saying it's healthier to smoke 4 cigarettes in a work day than it is to smoke 7 (though it obviously is), but rather for the conditioning of my body and my mind, I was in a much better place when I was treated like an adult and welcome to take my breaks when I felt the need to.

 

[FLUXCapacitor]

In all honesty unless you are picking up their slack or it's in someway impeding on your own work, then just mind your own damn business. I'm a web developer and work 8+ hours in front of a screen all day and I have to get up and take breaks. I don't smoke but I do get up to take shit, take a piss, walk a few laps around the office, grab some coffee, etc. We get two 10 minutes breaks a day and I make sure to use them and I do frequently go over that time, but I get my shit done every day. Even if your coworkers are literally taking 3-4 10+ minute smoke breaks every day just leave it be.

Why must people always get into other peoples business? What if you complained and got someone fired, and they have a wife/kids and got fucked over financially all because your personal vendetta over some extra time being spent smoking. What a joke.

Maybe I am just a little irritated over a good friend of mine who is having marital problems and needed a place to stay for a few weeks with his small 10lb dog so he stayed at his sisters duplex. Well the neighbors had to go and tell the landlord and throw a fit and now he has to leave asap. It wasn't effecting the neighbors in any way shape or form, they just had to make it their business. It's a huge pet peeve of mine when others gotta be so damn nosy. If it has no detrimental effect on you at all leave what others do alone.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

Come on now what? Until I started this job 3 years ago I'd never smoked a cigarette after another in my life. Now chain smoking is part of my every day routine. At my prior job I'd go out for a cigarette about every hour and a half, or maybe two hours. Now every two hours I go out, smoke two cigarettes, or on lunch, three/four cigarettes, then again after a couple hours. I'm not saying it's healthier to smoke 4 cigarettes in a work day than it is to smoke 7 (though it obviously is), but rather for the conditioning of my body and my mind, I was in a much better place when I was treated like an adult and welcome to take my breaks when I felt the need to.

All of what you complain about can be resolved. You have the power. Come on, now.

 

[brianjones]

people who get bitter about this sound like petty hall monitors

mind ur beezwax.. if they're slacking off its up to the supervisor to deal with

that said I never knew retailers allowed people smoke breaks.. my last retail job was very strict about when people were allowed breaks

 

[tanooki27]

yeah go ahead and whine, good strategy

 

[DonDraper]

yeah go ahead and whine, good strategy

Indeed. Snitches get stitches. Either take your own extended/extra breaks and do whatever it is you want to do or quit the whining. Thats the nature of the workplace. Learn the ins and outs and you too can have your own little perks.

 

[Dalek]

Smoke breaks by themselves do not bother me. What bothers me is they act as a sort of shadowy, unlogged break time, where people can take 10-15 minute breaks 2-3 times a day that aren't counted towards their lunch or off time during the day.

Or that has been my experience, at least. Smokers are not held accountable for that time. If a smoker heads outside for a smoke, that is not counted against him; if a worker takes a 15 minute break just to surf the internet, that is frowned upon. It's a sort of "out of sight, out of mind" phenomenon that really bothers me in the unwritten rules of office politics.

Perfectly put. This once drove me crazy too, OP. One time my boss who was a real hardass was questioning if I was taking longer than 15 minutes on my break. I told her no I wasnt-but I wanted to know why I was under scrutiny but the other 3 people on my team who were smokers-and who took about 4-5 smoke breaks a shift (in addition to their 2 alloyed 15 minute breaks) weren't. Her response was -"They aren't taking a break-they're smoking,"

It's unfair to be sure. But it all depends on the job. I work for a Fortine 500 company now and things are better for everyone involved.

 

[batbeg]

All of what you complain about can be resolved. You have the power. Come on, now.

I don't even know what you're talking about. I guess you're just another insufferable person telling others how to live their lives with no regards to the fact said others probably have their own reasoning and effective judgment? My point in this thread was just to say smoke breaks for smokers can have its validation in regards to a persons productivity and wellbeing. Your point seems to be that smokers should just quit, I guess? Come on, now.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

I don't even know what you're talking about. I guess you're just another insufferable person telling others how to live their lives with no regards to the fact said others probably have their own reasoning and effective judgment? My point in this thread was just to say smoke breaks for smokers can have its validation in regards to a persons productivity and wellbeing. Your point seems to be that smokers should just quit, I guess? Come on, now.

No one is making you work there, no one is making you smoke, and no one is making you smoke more than one cigarette at a time. You aren't powerless.

 

[Rad-]

I can sort of see smoking breaks having a benefit in office setting but it certainly isn't so in a more production based job. Productivity improved 5-10% in several sectors when we banned free smoke breaks.

Quite a lot of workers also stopped smoking all together when it got "banned" in work so a hidden health benefit there too.

 

[emb]

The company I work for tells everyone they can take a couple of 15 minute breaks each day, part of the purpose being to account for smoke breaks. I think that's probably the best way to handle it too. Extend the break opportunity to everyone, but also limit it so people aren't all on break all day. I use 'em just to get away from my desk, go take a walk, get fresh air etc.

 

[Levi]

E Cigs fucking stink and the vapor is poisonous. Call HR, no one has the right to force you to inhale that noxious shit. No HR? Call osha.

“E-cigarettes do not burn or smolder the way conventional cigarettes do, so they do not emit side-stream smoke; however, bystanders are exposed to aerosol exhaled by the user,” said the authors. Toxins and nicotine have been measured in that aerosol, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetic acid and other toxins emitted into the air, though at lower levels compared to conventional cigarette emissions.

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/05/11...harmless’-water-vapor-and-should-be-regulated

 

[NullPointer]

Toxins and nicotine have been measured in that aerosol, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetic acid and other toxins emitted into the air, though at lower levels compared to conventional cigarette emissions.

How much lower?

 

[Cro-Magnon]

I quit smoking over 6 months ago, was going great, then yesterday I received some pretty devastating personal news that I sincerely don't wanna discuss, now I've smoked 8 cigarettes in less than 24 hours. Feels bad. Its probably the news, though. Still, I feel bad for smoking too. I hope I can shrug this off and not restart this filthy habit.

 

[Arjen]

I quit smoking over 6 months ago, was going great, then yesterday I received some pretty devastating personal news that I sincerely don't wanna discuss, now I've smoked 8 cigarettes in less than 24 hours. Feels bad. Its probably the news, though. Still, I feel bad for smoking too. I hope I can shrug this off and not restart this filthy habit.

I'm sorry for whatever happened. I always fall back to smoking in moments like those. Stay strong man.

 

[Spookyboogy]

Takes me about a day.
Or if something really stressful happens.

 

[Persona7]

usually the non-smokers step outside too or go to the bathroom/chat with friends for a few minutes or something