No more fag breaks on company time.

[HOGEPH]

What's the general viewpoint on this?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-11664...


Workers at a district council in Norfolk must now clock off and back on if they take a cigarette break.

Staff at Breckland Council will no longer be paid for the time they spend smoking after the proposals were given the go-ahead.

Simon Clark, from smokers' lobby group Forest, said everyone was entitled to a break during work.

The group described the plan as "tyrannical", but council management, unions and workers backed the change.

[Nickyboy]

Why should smokers be paid for wasting time? If a non smoker stood outside for 5-10 mins every couple of hours they'd soon get a bking.

[HOGEPH]

As a non-smoker, I agree, just wondered where the smokers amongst you stand?

(Apart from outside, unpaid.)

[CerbitonFlyer]

I agree 100%. It's completely unfair on non-smokers who probably do at least 30mins more work a day than smokers. Tot it up and it really starts to add up, 2.5 hours a week, or over a day a month!

[Halb]

People are allowed breaks, if you work in front of a vdu you can have 5 mins every hour.
The problem might be when smokers take their breaks and then take more breaks just to satisfy the habit on top of the allowed stuff? A compromise usually works in the real world.

[Heathwood]

I wish they'd find a way to rid themselves of the stench before walking past my desk on re-entering the office as well.

[thinfourth2]

A bit harsh on the smokers

I prefer the idea that non-smokers go home 30 minutes early on a friday to make up for the smokers fag breaks

[Slinky]

I encourage anyone that works for me to take a cigarette break, regardless of whether they smoke or not..

1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon.. Get away from your desk and stretch, if that includes going outside for a smoke, so be it..

As a smoker, I quite often get some good work done whilst outside with fellow smokers anyway..

[hornetrider]

thinfourth2 said:

A bit harsh on the smokers

I prefer the idea that non-smokers go home 30 minutes early on a friday to make up for the smokers fag breaks

30 mins a week?! A day more like!!

[TimJMS]

I think anyone logging into PH during work time should be made to clock off first.

[TheD]

There is a point I suppose that 6 breaks at 10 minutes a pop is an hour a day. Not long in adding up. Will this also mean that there will be no coffee breaks. There will be no chatting with each other. Toilet breaks will be timed. Don't even think about making a phone call.
Where I can see the point in this I just feel it is going to make for a poor working environment. Imagine the smoker who has never had a sick day in their life and is a hard working soul who is good at their job. They are going to feel really persecuted, when others that are members of the Monday club, and are useless, get away with it.
I do like a cigar if anyone was wondering but I only smoke when I have a drink.

[Allanv]

I smoke and take a few minutes out every hour, but then I am glued to the screen all day and the law says bugger off every 45 mins for 5 mins so I take a smoke break.

What I dont do is spend 10 - 15 mins out chatting to any tom dick or mary, it is usually when I need a clear moment to think.

I also normally give them a hour or so in the evenings and weekends to keep things running smooth, and I am a contractor but they accept this as they get more from me for free than I take in a smoke break.

All the companys I have contracted for accept that on top of the free hour a day they also notice that I do not follow their employees into the canteen for a 40 min break in the morning or an hour for lunch.

I eat at my desk while still working, if i get hungry in the morning I will do the same.

And yes an appology to the non smokers in the offices I wish it did not smell but it does and so do I. I do wash my hands etc but I know my clothes smell.

For that I can only say sorry.

Edited by Allanv on Monday 1st November 20:19

[rs1952]

This is always a difficult subject because there are a number of ways that staff members waste time. Smokers are an easy target, but what about:

• A couple of staff (usually but not exclusively women) jabbering on all Moday morning about what they did at the weekend
• A couple of staff (usually blokes) who spend half the morning nattering about how the team did on Saturday
• People who wander about offices with a pieces of paper in their hand
• Impromptu mothers meetings in the photocopying room
• People who take twice as long to do a given job than anybody else
• People who spenf half their day in the office posting on PH or similar?
• As has already been said, non-smokers pulling sickies when smokers dont

Etc etc

If any of the above apply to you, remember that there are such things as the thin end of wedges. "First they came for the smokers, and I did nothing because I didn't smoke ....."

[mondeoman]

Coffee / tea / general chat / surfing the net breaks anyone???

fking stupidity from sanctimonious feckwits

[Allanv]

How many smokers that work full time for a company can say this:

Last night I had a reminder that a server in Dublin had a issue so I spent 1 hour fixing it, then spent the day making sure it did not happen again.

went to the pub tonight with the wife for an hour as we needed some time to reflect on yesterday (painters).

But during the said hour I got the feeling I had forgotten something in work to do with said server and as the landlord is a friend I used his front of house PC to login to work and check the server for my own piece of mind.

Tonight I have again logged in from home to check the job was running as expected, and it was.

Now me being a contractor would you as an employer forgive the smoke break I take knowing the service you get for free?

[Pesty]

rs1952 said:

This is always a difficult subject because there are a number of ways that staff members waste time. Smokers are an easy target, but what about:

• A couple of staff (usually but not exclusively women) jabbering on all Moday morning about what they did at the weekend
• A couple of staff (usually blokes) who spend half the morning nattering about how the team did on Saturday
• People who wander about offices with a pieces of paper in their hand
• Impromptu mothers meetings in the photocopying room
• People who take twice as long to do a given job than anybody else
• People who spenf half their day in the office posting on PH or similar?
• As has already been said, non-smokers pulling sickies when smokers dont

...."

Yeah but smokers do all that and then go out for a fag.

[Dixie68]

Allanv said:

I smoke and take a few minutes out every hour, but then I am glued to the screen all day and the law says bugger off every 45 mins for 5 mins so I take a smoke break.

Spot on.
I'm a non-smoker but every hour if I'm in the office I get up, stretch my legs and rest my eyes so I don't begrudge the smokers popping out for a tab. People whinge about anything and smokers are an easy target.

[Allanv]

Dixie68 said:

Allanv said:

I smoke and take a few minutes out every hour, but then I am glued to the screen all day and the law says bugger off every 45 mins for 5 mins so I take a smoke break.

Spot on.
I'm a non-smoker but every hour if I'm in the office I get up, stretch my legs and rest my eyes so I don't begrudge the smokers popping out for a tab. People whinge about anything and smokers are an easy target.

Some smokers take the piss though, hence my post above.

I think I earn my smoke breaks as best I can and I know that the management and my fellow workers know it as well. This includes my work mates that smoke, and they just take the piss 15 mins for a smoke WTF massive castella comes to mind.

Edited by Allanv on Monday 1st November 21:00

[NismoGT]

I smoke.

I have one 30 min break per day.

If i smoke out of the 30 min break , i get a bking.

Public sector workers should be no different.

[Dixie68]

Allanv said:

Dixie68 said:

Allanv said:

I smoke and take a few minutes out every hour, but then I am glued to the screen all day and the law says bugger off every 45 mins for 5 mins so I take a smoke break.

Spot on.
I'm a non-smoker but every hour if I'm in the office I get up, stretch my legs and rest my eyes so I don't begrudge the smokers popping out for a tab. People whinge about anything and smokers are an easy target.

Some smokers take the piss though, hence my post above.

Fair comment, but then so do some non-smokers. The Design team in my office get in late, never get down to work without a good natter for at least 30 minutes and have ridiculously long lunchbreaks. If they get the work done though I don't see a problem.