Should employers capitalise on the soon to be introduced Smoking ban?

crazymental

i smoke. and when i work i wait for my actual dinner or designated break to have a ***. i dont agree with fellow smokers sneaking off or just blatantly walking off the job to have a ***. whats the most hours you go with out a ***? 5? that isnt that long and it gives you something to look forward to. smokers should get a grip and realise the world doesnt revolve around nicotine.

civil_av8r

so what is the difference between a smoker taking a break for a cigarette or you taking a break and getting on the net?

Merovingian

Its been the law here in Scotland for well over a year now and Ive heard no complaints. The only people Ive heard moan are taxi drivers. I know one whos been fined Â£60 twice for smoking in his cab ( no passengers & off duty ) but its still deemed his place of work. I think thats taking it a bit too far...

Georgie

Smokers have never been entitled to more breaks than non smokers- loads of non smokers go outside at my work for some fresh air or nip down to the shop etc. Isnt the law that companies have to give you a 10/15min break in the morning and a 10/15min in the afternoon (seperate from your lunch break) so you can make a cup of tea / get some air etc? Anyway when the new law comes in us smokers who go outside to smoke will still be going outside to smoke- nothing is going to change for us in that respect, i think thats the same for most people, there are not many companies that have indoor smoking areas anymore.
Anyway I have two cig breaks a day and I work a lot harder than all the non smokers here who ponce about in the kitchen spending half an hour making tea and gossiping about who's sleeping with who.
Selfnoself's answer below is the most over exaggerated drama queen-ish answer I have ever seen on here! I'm wetting myself with laughter!
Any time Malco!

Violet De'ath

What kind of places do you people work in?!

I have never worked anywhere that allows me a break other than my official legal morning/lunch/afternoon breaks. I have never been given extra breaks because I smoke and don't know anyone who "sneaks" off for an extra one.

Smokers aren't bloody children and I wish the gov't and other people would stop treating us like we are!

â˜ â˜†Malcoâ˜†â˜ â„¢

Pass us`down`a`CIGGIE` Georgie`

scottdman2003

Nope.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that NON-smokers don't sneak off for unofficial breaks themselves. They just do something other than smoking. Like sleep.
By your question your implying that non-smokers work harder than smokers, which in my experience, I have found to be totally not true.

srracvuee

they will!! have no doubts and i don't think you can blame them

mikehunt29

Exactly what we need...more rules.

scott_v1963

Communist.

The anti-smoking left has already banned smoking in the job place. Even smoking break rooms have been removed from all buildings in the city in which I live. Funny though it makes for longer smoke breaks if the building is tall.

The anti-smoking left has already pushed smokers outside to accomodate the "non-smokers". The smoke break is compensation for that inconvenience not an additional right. If anything the non-smokers were provided the additional right by being allowed to stay at their desk rather than having run outside to freeze or drown in a pouring rain.

The anti-smokers don't know what goes on outside. More often then not, us smokers talk business so our time is not "wasted". Or we talk about the non-smokers that can't come out and enjoy a beautiful day. Or we discuss retaking the country from the communists that continue chipping away at our freedoms.

Finally, the communist anti-smokers encouraged me to take up smoking again (after 20 years without). It is my way of civil disobedience in support of smokers' rights.

If I die from the effects of my pack-a-day, can I sue the communists from driving me back to tobacco?

Magpie68

I think it would be wholly wrong to suddenly impose draconian penalties on smokers and I think any employer worth its salt would have or should be considering consultation with its employees as to the agreement and implementation of a smoking policy. The Working Time Regulations make provision for worktime breaks as part of an employee's rights and so if that employee chooses to use this time to smoke then so be it.

Rightly or wrongly, smoking in the workplace will be a criminal offence from the 1st July and so, as an act of Gross Misconduct, anyone repeatedly breaking the law is going to be disciplined and may risk losing their job. I can't see anyone wanting to do that and, so long as employers make adequate provision for them to have a cigarette break outside, my experience from the feedback at my company is that the vast majority smokers will quite gladly fall in with the new law.

4x4 lover

Bottom line is:

---Smokers more often than not give consideration to other people where as people who drive 4X4 and other large cars.

---4x4people more often than not smell gross

---Their voices are not pleasant to listen to (Especially while hacking their way through a traffic jam)
---Their skin is usually sallow and unhealthy looking
---Their breath typically stinks (In spite of all those breath mints they think mask the odor).
---They are easily distracted and irritated under stress
---They are usually the ones late for work (Had to have that extra parking space).
---They justify longer breaks (Having the darndest excuseslike cleaning the car )
---Try to take extra breaks ("I'll take that to the bank [So I can drive really slow the whole way there and back]!"
---Customers tend to avoid 4x4 employees (Yes! Customers know the difference).
---They smell up the universe with their "smoke from the 4x4"
---They cost tax payers billions of dollars in health care

And personally, I am just about sick and tired of stepping outside only to be choked by some loser who has no self worth enough not to drive a 4x4! It is amazing how one stupid 4x4 stinks up an area and makes the atmosphere so unpleasant for everyone around them. I literally can't breathe when there is a 4x4 around me and I have no problem letting them know they are bothering me.

They are no different than a murderer who might otherwise pin me down, shove a pillow over my face and then inject hundreds of toxic chemicals into my veins. That person would be in jail for attempted murder. Why a disgusting 4x4 driver is allowed to suffocate me and subject me to cancer causing chemicals is beyond me. They are a disgrace and a nuisance to society.

as you can see the same applies to car user's who have no consideration for children elderly or anyone for that matter.

when was the last time you seen a 4x4 driver stop and push his car when a child was about. (unlike smokers who will stub it out)

unlike most smokers who have consideration for others.

chinchilla.girl

Smokers have no right whatsoever to take smoking breaks. We have had the smoking ban for a few years now in Ireland and there has been no problem. The owner of the premises can be fined â‚¬3000 if it's reported a person is smoking on their property. This forces employers, bar owners etc to enforce the ban as there are plenty of vigilant non-smokers out there who would love to report them.

As for having smoking breaks outside, if smokers are allowed a 7 minute break (or whatever) every two hours then so are non-smokers. Use it to your advantage, go have a cup of tea or a glance through the newspaper. Insist that if you can't do this then neither can smokers. Who is to say that you won't die of cravings if you don't have your two-hourly cream bun!!!

I have to say as well that a lot of people have quit here since the ban came in. A lot of people have also started so they can be part of the social group in the outdoor areas. Most clubs etc. have built extravagant beer-gardens, patios, and covered roof top and balcony smoking areas. A lot of teenagers now are not starting to smoke as it seems to be no longer cool.

mata123

Whats the difference between a *** break and a toilet break in terms of time wasted, PS got a bit of a chip on your shoulder there Oscar good buddy.I guess you don't smoke?

the_tent_man36

You miserable git! bloody hell people like you don't ever cease to leave me speechless!

And as it goes why didnt you just cut and paste the yahoo story.

Christian in Kuwait

Exactly! Smokers often mooch off time from their employers. Hardened smokers will hopefully quit. Maybe the patch could be given to those who need it... I don't want a crazy waitress who's on nicotine withdrawal... no tip for her.

The Mole

Be an excuse to capitalise even more.

BIG D

You don't really seem to have thought this through.
You clearly have an agenda of your own - we can only guess at it.

Where I work staff are encouraged to take regular breaks for normal health reasons. Some smoke. Others just pop outside for a quick chat. Some go to the prayer room.

I have a boss who sometimes uses the opportunity to have an informal chat or 'pulling in the reins' as it were rather than asking someone to go to her office . It suits everyone.

I once worked for a boss who used the morning trolley arrival for the same purpose. The girls in the office used it for the gossip round.

Your attitude could be seen as sour grapes in some quarters. I like to think that we live in a more enlightened age and give people the benefit of the doubt. And any good manager, it seems to me, will know already who the shirkers are and should be dealing with them anyway.

SelfnoSelf

Bottom line is:

---Smokers more often than not smell gross
---Their voices are not pleasant to listen to (Especially while hacking their way through a conversation)
---Their skin is usually sallow and unhealthy looking
---Their breath typically stinks (In spite of all those breath mints they think mask the odor).
---They are easily distracted and irritated under stress
---They are usually the ones late for work (Had to have that last minute ciggy).
---They justify longer breaks (Having the darndest excuses)
---Try to take extra breaks ("I'll take that to the bank [So I can drive really slow and smoke the whole way there and back]!"
---Customers tend to avoid smoking employees (Yes! Customers know the difference).
---They smell up the universe with their "smoke"
---They cost tax payers billions of dollars in health care

Additional Thoughts:
And personally, I am just about sick and tired of stepping outside only to be choked by some loser who has no self worth enough to kick the habit! It is amazing how one stupid cigarette stinks up an area and makes the atmosphere so unpleasant for everyone around them. I literally can't breathe when there is a smoker around me and I have no problem letting them know they are bothering me.

They are no different than a murderer who might otherwise pin me down, shove a pillow over my face and then inject hundreds of toxic chemicals into my veins. That person would be in jail for attempted murder. Why a disgusting smoker is allowed to suffocate me and subject me to cancer causing chemicals is beyond me. They are a disgrace and a nuisance to society.

Their contributions are more of a burden than a benefit and I think all smokers should be shipped to a far away island where they can all smoke themselves to death.

----Oh 4x4: Don't even get me started on what I think about smokers who rudely subjected me to their disgusting habit while I was pregnant with my child.

Don't even get me started on all the times I have had to whisk my child away from inconsiderate smokers who could care less that they were suffocating my child with their cancer sticks.

Your poor analogy and attempt at justifying the disgusting habit of smoking while foolishly trivializing its deadly affects upon society did nothing to sway my firm view. That view being that smokers are a disgrace and a burden upon all mankind!

Nice try, but it matters not how many other disgraces and burdens upon all mankind you feel like digging up in an attempt to try and distract the reader from the actual subject at hand, which is that of the filthy smoker, particularly within the confines of the workplace.

Blondie Bear

Yes non smokers take Internet breaks or other sneaky breaks but are you telling me that smokers only take their smoking breaks? No, they too take sneaky Internet breaks or go off and chat to colleagues so still get more breaks than a non smoker.

I welcome the ban, I was at Wembley at the weekend - a non smoking venue, but still people were lighting up left right and centre - this is the mentality of a lot of smokers blatant disregard for those around them. Happily my other half - who is a smoker does not have the mentally he refused to light up in the Stadium despite gagging for a smoke. Other smokers should be as controlled and considerate.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: