Smoking breaks during work hours
- Thread starter Shawady
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PyritePete
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and therefore do less work...
I can say the same for (irish) people in my place of work that go for "tea break".
yeah, a 45 minute tea break at 9.15am.
still, I try to avoid going into this discussion because I know I would be generalizing, and thats never good.
I suggest some of you start doing the same before this thread becomes a "us against them" again.
What are you on about?
+1.
+1 (+1)
People who want to take a short break will do so. They can "make tea", "Have a smoke", "go to the loo" etc.
It's not that big a deal unless either bad management or bad employees make it into one.
This is not a "them and us" issue.
I think the poster detected a potential "all smokers are workshy fops, spending all their time doing no work while I'm chained to the desk" mood.
At least that's how I read the post.
In my opinion, every workplace has those who will waste as much time as they are at liberty to do so. Whether it be prolonged smoke or coffee breaks, reading the paper, upping their AAM post count (....), online shopping, altogether or individually, or whatever.
I'd be a liar if I said my focus at work was continuous and there weren't times I didn't ease off a bit when the opportunity arises.
As long as the work is done to the expected schedule, I've no problem with people having flexibility in how they approach the work. I do have problems with the colleagues who spend several hours telling me in great detail how busy they are and how much work they have piling up without actually touching any of it.
Are all Public Sector workers smokers?!
Seriosuly though, I remember reading where an employer (and I cant even remember which country) refused to hire any smokers as he said they lost X amount of time per smoke. I think he won in court too when challenged!
Will find the link if I can.
Seriosuly though, I remember reading where an employer (and I cant even remember which country) refused to hire any smokers as he said they lost X amount of time per smoke. I think he won in court too when challenged!
Will find the link if I can.
The_Banker
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True, I am one of them! It use not be like that but years of disillusionment has led me down that path.
I don't smoke but I still manage to waste substancial amounts of time.
There is no legal requirement under the Working time Regultions for such a break, likewise the Display Screen Equipment Regualtions 2007 do not specify the frequency and duration of work breaks when working on a VDU.
It may be a good idea to take a break every 2 hours but it is not enshrined in law and best practices would be to allow for natural breaks in the workload so a VDU user is not "chained to the screen" all day long
See hear for more information
[broken link removed]
Brendan, if you're reading this, hope you're adhering to this policy !!!
PyritePete
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i dont believe this is a them versus us situation, I make tea/coffee to escape from looking at my screen for too long ( another poster said a 15 mins break every 2 hours is recommended so this is what I do).
Its the smokers who make tea/coffee and have longer breaks = dossing. Maybe I should admire these people
Its the smokers who make tea/coffee and have longer breaks = dossing. Maybe I should admire these people
i dont believe this is a them versus us situation, I make tea/coffee to escape from looking at my screen for too long ( another poster said a 15 mins break every 2 hours is recommended so this is what I do).
Its the smokers who make tea/coffee and have longer breaks = dossing. Maybe I should admire these people
and you call it a non "us versus them" ???
thats exactly what i was "on about"
PyritePete
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+1,
Yes but the thread and most of the comments are about the smokers and only the smokers. There are malingerers of all kinds in the workplace, some smoke, some don't. Why is it that only the smokers get any kind of mention in these discussions?
truthseeker
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The biggest malingerer we ever had in the office managed to migrate from being a smoker to a non smoker - and still malinger, so it aint confined to just smokers!!
This guy (in his smoking days) would leave his desk every hour on the hour and go for a smoke for 7/8 minutes.
Then he quit smoking. Still he left the desk every hour on the hour. Mostly he was still going outside, not near the smoking area, but basically just hanging around for the same 7/8 minutes. Sometimes he went for tea - for 7/8 minutes, and other times (if the weather was bad and he had already been for tea) he just wandered round the building for 7/8 minutes.
His malingering was the same as both a smoker and a non smoker, leading me to believe - he was just a malingerer.
This guy (in his smoking days) would leave his desk every hour on the hour and go for a smoke for 7/8 minutes.
Then he quit smoking. Still he left the desk every hour on the hour. Mostly he was still going outside, not near the smoking area, but basically just hanging around for the same 7/8 minutes. Sometimes he went for tea - for 7/8 minutes, and other times (if the weather was bad and he had already been for tea) he just wandered round the building for 7/8 minutes.
His malingering was the same as both a smoker and a non smoker, leading me to believe - he was just a malingerer.
I agree it's not just smokers. I used to work with a girl who walked into work in scruffy track suit and no make up and then spent about half an hour (while officially clocked in) showering, putting on make up, sorting out her hair etc. Then she would arrive back in the room all done up and start looking all busy and important and hassled :mad:. This was every single morning.