Outer Sparta wrote:Oh that is an interesting idea, and you can add that a non-smoker wants to become a smoker (or pretends to be a smoker) just to get extra breaks. I know an episode of Family Guy where Peter becomes a smoker simply to take more breaks.
Funny you should say that - I have heard of non-smokers who go out when their smoker friends do so they can take the lack of break-time fairness into their own hands. One of the options definitely needs to be allowing non-smokers to take those same breaks, even if they'll use them to go out for a walk or something instead.
Verdant Haven wrote:This sounds super familiar, could have sworn I've seen this around, but I can't figure out where. If this issue doesn't exist, it definitely should. Definitely a source of major workplace tension in some offices. Similar real world arguments existing regarding coffee/tea breaks, bathroom breaks, and things like parents getting preferential treatment compared to non-parents.
All very true! I've spent some time looking into it - apparently three ten-minute smoke breaks a day (that's on top of the break time everyone is entitled to) give smokers a total of 16 more days off work every year than non-smokers. Even if smokers take just ten extra minutes a day on smoke breaks, they're still getting four or five additional days off work compared to non-smokers. In fact, I've heard of companies offering non-smokers an extra few days' holiday to balance things out - which also acts as an incentive for smokers to quit.