May 17 2008
This is the one about smokers.
This is not a rant about smokers and how smoking should be outlawed everywhere. And it’s not a post about my dislike for smokers. In fact, if it wasn’t such an expensive habit, and so obviously unhealthy, I’d probably be a smoker.
Now that all of that has been said, correct me if I’m wrong: smokers should get paid less than non-smokers. I’m talking generally, of course.
This thought came to my brain last week as I was sitting in an office where 90% of my coworkers are heavy smokers. One of my co-workers is such a heavy smoker that he uses his personal cellphone to make work-related phone calls just so he can sit outside and smoke while he talks.
Everyone went out for a fifteen minute break (the fourth for the day) and I was left alone (for the fourth time that day) to continue working when they weren’t doing anything work-related (for the fourth time for the day).
Craig blogged his “List of Grievances,” and he included co-workers that take long smoke-breaks. And it’s true, not only do non-smokers pick up the slack when our co-workers are out there on their cancer session, but those fifteen-minute sessions really add up…four a day is an hour. Five days a week, four weeks in a month. Smokers work 20 hours less than non-smokers in a month, give or take.
Tell me where I’m wrong.
Plus, when they come back, they stink.
You’re not. I agree 100%
The rest of us are supposed to be entitled to take as many breaks as smokers do, my contract even says so. I use my breaks to check my blood sugar and take shots and snacks (this takes about two minutes per hour, on average).
I think you’re right. They should face some sort of penalty for hurting a company’s productivity and making coworkers pick up slack. Too bad companies don’t just track the time and then deduct it from their paycheck at the end of the period.
That does make sense. People should not be taking that long of breaks without being productive or without giving others the same benefit of doing the same thing. Maybe you can anonymously bring up the topic and hope that some rules will be reinstated for all the smoke breaks.
I work at a beautiful building with views to the sea. Our smoking co-workers disappear every now and then for a quick smoke (nothing like the 15 minutes you say! and some of the non-smokers tag along. They tell us they’re getting ready to sneak out to the terrace for a quick smoke and I’d pop to the coffe machine to drink a coffe at the same terrace and have a chat with them.Whenever anyone points out that I’m taking breaks (they usually don’t, but they sometimes joke about the non-smokers tagging on ;) I say I don’t think I have to start smoking in order to enjoy our terrace! :P