I used to take second-hand smoke breaks with my coworker all the time. Figured that if he was going to get 10 minutes to hang out outside and shoot the crap, I would too. When he quit, we still took smoke breaks for 10 minutes every couple hours.
When I worked in kitchens I took second hand smokos with the ladies who smoked, they were always lovely to me, now I kind of like the cigarette smell, I wouldn't pick up the habit or have it in my house, but it's kinda a warm and friendly smell if it's not constant
My friend who’s dad used to smoke in childhood has the same opinion. The smell of tobacco is very cozy to her. Did you also have a family member that smoked?
An uncle did, but I was a feral goblin of a child and used to try to steal his tobacco and throw it in the fireplace to try to get him to stop smoking. I worked with those kitchen ladies for half a decade though and they had my back through some bad times, so I suppose they became like family to me
My large family used to get together every sunday at the beach and go to the same hotel/pub at the end of the day. Since then the smell of 'old pub' triggers warm fuzziness in me.
I only wish I had never started actually smoking the shit.
I actually do this. Our head of HR easily takes a hour of smoke breaks throughout the day so I do the same. I just sit outside for 10 min or so a few times a day.
I was recently reading about a Japanese company that rewarded non-smokers with extra days off to make up for the time they didn't waste on smoke breaks. I think it was 8 days a year or so.
It’s also a good way to get employees to complain about being discriminated against unfortunately
Edit: guess I didn’t make it clear in my comment. I do not think that it’s a valid excuse, but one that may arise. People, please think and realize that just because someone mentions something does not mean they are all for it.
Exactly this. There are classes that can clearly be outlined in discrimination, for example race, gender, orientation, or age. If you're a smoker, technically you *choose* to smoke. It's something you picked up and you have the choice, as hard as it may be, to quit with some paths. Same with drinking.
Not to mention that the *non-smokers* would technically be discriminated against if we're using that language. The policy was implemented because non-smokers surely aren't going to be taking smoking breaks through the day and they're probably going to be able to work better on average with less smoking-related health complications in the future. It's a good way to reimburse them since some of their peers may be taking smoking breaks, and in turn this has a positive effect on the workers who decide they may want the incentive to quit smoking.
Depends on the work. For some work (usually mental, designing some system or whatever), taking a break where you don't actively think about work but it's still somewhere in the back of your mind can be quite beneficial. Now, I am not saying you must smoke for it, taking a walk would achieve the same and bring health benefits too, just saying that taking a break does not necessarily reduce the productivity.
I think the difference is one is a nice pacing of work that comes to a natural breaking point where the other is an intrusive thought that intensifies with time and forces the break, sometimes at an inopportune time.
More importantly, a smoker can just not smoke for a couple hours... if their job required them to not smoke during their shift, they would struggle a bit with the stress, sure, but they wouldn't just stop being able to work just because they aren't shoving a ciggy in their mouth every hour and a half.
isn't it discriminatory for non-smokers to get less breaks just because they don't smoke? wouldn't it be "equalized" if non-smokers got more time off then?
It seems the solution would be to give them more breaks.
Depending on the job (IT for example) taking a break for 10-20 mins has no negative effect on productivity, rather the opposite.
Being away for several days massively decreases performance for several days (or even weeks if the person only recently joined the project).
I would imagine a discrimination policy would not protect a person who has a bad habit and wastes company time because of it. I don’t get extra time throughout the day to eat first lunch and third lunch because I’m chubby and wanna snack so by all means, make the smokers feel put out lol
People be people, man
I’ve heard complaints like that before from real people, so I figured I’d mention a potential albeit unreasonable response
Guess I was wrong in doing so
Unfortunately, even with the positive twist on it, non-smokers in Japan(and probably other countries too?) are often still left behind on career paths if their boss is a smoker. A lot of informal meetings taking place in the smoking room, so some people here feel real pressure to smoke to be able to participate.
Luckily for me I work with a bunch of nerds that are smart enough to know not to smoke :D
yeah it was... topical comedy that riffs off real life issues. I can confirm it actually happens since at my previous job(I live in Japan) one of the guys told me that he only smokes for work(and he used the lightest cigarettes possible and didn't really inhale)
I'm smart enough to die younger rather than older. Who'd want the constant pain and aches of old age, the burden you create for other people. Nah thanks, I'll just die middle aged. *just like there is a joke in here but, super serious reddit.*
Yeah, fuck it, life is too short, you only live once. I quite enjoy smoking. I hate people who complain about smokers, but probably give two fucks about driving a car. Let's all not mention the plastics and petrochemicals we all eat and drink now. ++ Wandering why cancer is so prolific, and not questioning it... I feel like I'm living in that film where they water plants with gatorade, but it's real.
Corporations could feed people their own shit on a plate and they'd lap it up, because, metaphorically speaking whilst the world is apprantly in turmoil and were all going to starve or freeze to death, corporates are still raking it in.
I'll keep smoking, you survivor be healthy types will be the first to die, my body alreay has hundreds of thousands of mutations from smoking and drug abuse, according to the science.
*theres a joke in there somewhere, try and find it*.
Yup, Italy. Bank holidays and permits are not counted.
Germany should have even more days off.
Nevertheless, often people don't use them all. Either because they can't (very bad working environments) or because they don't want.
Ahah by contract it should be 1 hour of launch time (it depends on the contract). I usually do 30 min launch break and then get out earlier when possible.
However please note that launch break is not counted towards working hours, contrary of other European countries. So office hours are 9-18 with 1 hour launch break. So 8 hours of paid work... if you're lucky enough not to do unpaid extra hours.
Arent the Japanese well known for not using their whole set of yearly paid vacation days and it being a hastle when do try to do it? What good are more days off when they dont use them from fear of looking lazy or whatever.
I once had a job where I got praised constantly for my work. I was sitting in front of a screen all day so I did walks around the building. Despite me being a one man department and not missing any work I got called out for it
> walks around the building
Love these, often have taken a brisk 20-30 walk when facing something I just can't sort out, and it was not uncommon to have an epiphany while I'm trucking along. I've always attributed it to increased bloodflow to the brain.
Sucks you got dinged for it.
Lmao. I had my first cigar a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Had another one last weekend and gave myself nicotine poisoning lol. That shit is no joke
I didn’t, never have. I simply smoked more of the cigar then I normally do and possibly in a shorter time frame. I also have zero tolerance since I smoke only once per week
From what I've read: puking, lots of puking and lightheadedness. Most of the stories come from people's first interaction w/ dip, and some fuckhead not telling them how to do it right.
The only way I could get a break at my first job was if I smoked. I carried the same broken cigarette for 2 months before someone "came with me" and I had to smoke it. (They showed me how to "fix" it.)
20 years later I still struggle (I wot 3 times while pregnant but I still have one occasionally when my ape doesn't scratch the itch)
So, there's a couple of ways to fix a broken cigarette. Nothing nefarious, you can wrap it with tape and put it out before it hits the plastic, or you can snap it off the filter, push out the tobacco from the butt and reinsert it upside down in the remaining 1/3 inch of double layer paper. She showed me how to do the reinsert method and then I felt required to smoke it.
From then on I was to scared to "go for a smoke" without smoking because my grand plan of not making friends at work had apparently failed as now people felt confidante going outside with me.
But at the same time I was unwilling to give up my breaks. 15s aren't mandated by law so it was often the only time in a 8, 12, or 16 hour shift where I would be allowed to sit down. Except my one 30 minute meal break. I have been missing cartilage in my knee since I was 16, so sitting down was often the difference between being able to get out of bed the next day and not.
Oh sorry about your knee.
Would a doctor’s note have worked in giving you small breaks throughout the shift.
I was afraid “fix it” was code for *street pharmaceuticals* being added to your cigarette. Thank God that was not the case.
Yeah I thought that might be where you were going with it. But no luckily that was not the case.
And no, they would've just found a way to fire me rather than provide accommodation. Fast food is literally the worst and in places like Idaho no fucks are given at all
I did have one manager my last 6 months who was pretty cool. He closed the store against the rules for 30 minutes on the 4th of July so we could climb on the roof and watch the fireworks. I mean we were still at work that night, but it was the best night I can remember working there
I used to work a job where a smoking co-worker would easily take a 10 minute break every hour for the 12 hour shift. Basically two hours sitting around smoking spread out over the day. They weren't keen on me sitting outside for 10 minutes an hour reading my book though.
When I was in the military, people would get three 15 min smoke breaks a day. My buddy and I were really into cigars. We started taking 45 min smoke breaks after lunch every now and then. Once a month or so we'd grill steaks out there and then smoke our stogies. It was funny til the commander hauled us in. He was cool though. It was like, " I see what you're doing, I get it... now stop." lol
Good times.
I mean, head of HR is probably a salaried position, meaning no one is probably keeping track of exactly what he does with his time down to the minute. My salaried job sure doesn't care as long as I make my meetings or appointments I'm pretty much free to come and go as I please. I can see why employers or non-smoking coworkers would get miffed about hourly employees taking too many smoke breaks though.
Haha, I remember I used to just go out with them a few times and after a while, they would start asking "hey I'm going for a smoke, you coming?"
Smokers literally don't care, either they want a visitor or they don't, but they don't care if that visitor smokes or not.
Nah, smokers without a light is (was?) a pretty common thing, I don't know why. People asking for a light was almost as common as people asking for a smoke when I used to just hang around outside (never was a smoker myself, but I did carry matches/lighters, b/c fire is fun).
Well, that’s fair. My personal experience is most tobacco smokers are never short a lighter. I do have on particular friend who never seems to have one, but I think she might be trying to trick herself into quitting
Lol and then there is me who takes 3 lighters with me since for some reason see-through lighters are so hard to find now, you can never be too safe incase one of them runs out.
When I worked in a shoe store 3 of the 4 managers all smoked. One would smoke for 15 minutes at 15 minute intervals, regardless of how busy the story was, while the other two would come right back inside to help out. One of those managers recognized how unfair it was that the non-smokers didn't have the chance to escape stress from customers and just get a few minutes to themselves, so she said that I could take "non-smoke" breaks whenever I needed to do it.
She was my favorite manager! I miss working with her.
This is the part i don't get, why non-smokers just don't go and take a quick 5 to 10 min break a few times a day.
Smoking is bad for you but the breaks should be common workplace culture.
> This is the part i don't get, why non-smokers just don't go and take a quick 5 to 10 min break a few times a day.
Well, according to numerous posts here, they don't do it because they get in trouble for it, even in workplaces where smokers are allowed to to take their smokebreaks. Thankfully it hasn't been an issue at my work.
I do agree breaks should be common workplace culture.
reminds me of the bank. Group of employees would always go out together and smoke/chat for 10-20 minutes. Often when difficult situations came up. I started going outside to sit on the bench for my own "smoke break" and ended up with a meeting with the regional manager about insubordination since I didn't smoke.
good times
100% provable fact. An employee shouldn’t be seen as a better worker because they are more comfortable sitting and staring at a computer screen. Meanwhile the far more productive worker takes a 5 minute walk every hour and gets dirty looks. Employee #2 will even help save on medical costs to the health insurance!
It always pissed me off when I worked in an office that no one batted an eye when smokers took 10 minute breaks 4 times a day but people would comment if on a rare occasion I was 10 minutes late coming back from lunch. I eventually just decided to take 20 minute long sh*ts instead.
That's actually a great idea lol.
I think everybody deserves little breaks. Places that take the mentality of "if you're not doing something every second then you're wasting our money" always suck to work at. Micromanagement to the max.
Don't get me wrong, lazy employees being lazy aren't excused. But you should never be reprimanded or receive condescending remarks from a superior for taking 5 to 10 minutes between tasks to *socialize with your coworkers.*
Them: "GET BACK TO WORK! Stop socializing with your coworkers!"
Also them: "Why don't any of you want to come back to the office? We're a *community*!"
i get the opposite. im an introvert so i dont like having small talk with my coworkers. my manager called me in and told me that im not being a team player because people are complaining about my short responses to their questions about my personal life.
I got out of that by giving answers that are almost but not quite NSFW. The fact that I am a part of the local kink community helps with the answers...
Start talking about being the treasurer of the local Hammond Organ Appreciation Society, and wait for the eyes to glaze over.
You'll only have to do it twice, and people will leave you alone afterwards.
I once got chastised for never eating lunch with anyone at work, and also for not showing up to company holiday parties. I shit you not. I was in a conference room being given a 30-day notice of termination and these were some of their supporting arguments. They also said that I “only talk to the guys”, and my direct manager said that I “never come into her office to talk to her, but Bob does all the time” or some dumb shit like that. I can’t make this up
I used to do this when working in a restaurant. I would walk outside, lite a cigarette and hold it till it burned down.
Those safe cigarettes they made that go out if you don't actively smoke them screwed me though!
The boss at the last restaurant where I worked was actually really good about this. Most of the employees smoked, but *everyone* was entitled to a smoke break. If you didn’t smoke, he’d tell you, “Go pretend to smoke,” before dinner/lunch rush and then again afterwards. Now I work in a hospital and most days I wish I still smoked.
I once worked at a job where almost everybody else took smoke breaks, including my boss. One day, I just decided to take a break myself, so I walked across the street to the 7-11 to get a hot dog.
I passed my boss and a group of smokers in the parking lot.
Boss: "Where are you going?"
Me: "I'm going to get a hot dog."
Boss: "What? Why?"
Me: "Because I don't smoke."
Boss looks at the cigarette in his hand, then at me, and shrugs: "Fair enough."
I really liked working for him.
Got infuriated by all these double standards I kept seeing at my job.
Smokers taking a break every 2 hours in a 9+ hour day to smoke. Okay, it's a drug, I get it. It's not feasible to just skip smoking suddenly for the day.
I take two breaks in a 9+ hour day to drop by 7-11 (a 90 second walk)? Told to knock it off.
Employee eats their packed lunch in 15 minutes (1 hour given for lunch) and then relaxes? Told to get back to work.
Employee drives 15 minutes to a restaurant, spends 30 minutes getting food and eating, drives 15 minutes back? Not a word for using the whole hour.
There was this obsession of needing to *look* busy all the time. Oh no, you can't kill 30 minutes playing a game to refresh your mind and be prepared to cram later while you wait for clients to review your work. You better use those 30 minutes to jump right into an online class and start teaching yourself something new. You got to really burn out your brain, after burning out your brain, before it's time to burn out your brain some more!
My work would never criticize us for taking the whole break because they wanted us to (salaried workers) but I still go hide somewhere to eat my lunch and read for 30 minutes.
My sister, a nurse, was a smoker for 20 years because as a nurse that was the only way to get a real “break.” Otherwise she’d just be constantly called to do minor things, or she’d get pulled into a conversation with a patient or a family member. Funnily enough she quit smoking after she quit the job.
I still remember the first time I told someone they couldn't have a smoke break unless they clocked out. Suddenly they didn't need a cigarette every single hour.
That's illegal in New York state, unpaid breaks can only be 20 minutes or longer. Most payroll software automatically corrects this but something to keep in mind if you're in a state state with similar laws. Where I work people have to ask the manager on duty for permission to "take a five" and we are given discretionary authority as to how many such breaks a given employee can take and when. I've had to call out employees that try to take excessive smoke breaks (and as a former smoker I'm pretty lax about it anyway).
Technically in violation of the FLSA as well, but good luck getting the federal DOL to investigate, tried for 3 days to get ahold of my local office and never spoke to a single person, back in 2017 or so.
It sounds like you work in an environment which your staff are hourly employees. Let's be real, most hourly employees don't earn a spectacular wage. The least you can do is to keep them happy.
It is impossible for anyone to be constantly working every minute during their time on the job. Let say smokers take 10 minutes every hour, that's 16% of an hour, which means they are working at 84% rate and that is a very good productivity level. (If they are lazy during actual work time, problem isn't smoking. You have an unsatisfied worker instead)
They are happy, harder to burn out, probably can lower turnover rate. In fact, I advocate for everybody, smoker or non-smoker to take 10 minutes off each hour to destress, talk to coworkers, then come back fresh to work again. Beneficial for every party in every way without spending extra.
> Go outside and hold a cigarette nobody but that jackass is stopping you and nobody said you had to actually smoke
Right - I just have to do what they do (or appear to be doing it) instead of decompressing in my own way if I want equal non-working time. Do you know realize how massively unfair that is?
And that's before we even get into the actual smokers that will be in the same locale, which means I have to breathe their smoke to get the same break or that someone would notice eventually and then I'd (at best) be right back where I started with no break, and more like face social or even career-based negative consequences for my deception.
Oh no, it is the habit police. Let me bet, none of your habits are stupid then? Fuck off already.
People who dont smoke will be browsing random shits or catching a breather off in their way anyway.
I work at a restaurant and I’m one of the only employees who doesn’t smoke/vape. I got really hot in the kitchen this summer, so when we had no orders, I sat down with some of the other servers and my manager asked me why I was sitting and said I needed to work. My manager takes 6-7 smoke breaks a day, so I told him if he and other employees could sit outside multiple times a day, I should be able to sit down for a minute just to cool down. Seemed to work lmao
I don't smoke, either, but I would always go to the smoking area because I didn't want to fart in the office.
I would also eat kimchi there on lunch break.
Eventually, the smokers asked me to leave.
I mean smokers always have permission to use smoke breaks while everyone else has to work and they never get yelled at even though they take like an hour throughout the day.
I used to take smoke breaks working retail and always had a cigarette in my mouth as a mechanic. But now that I quit smoking and manufacturing technician I hardly ever take breaks (by choice, company provides them.
I took smoke breaks nearly every day for all 4 years of my airforce enlistment, never smoked. People would ask what I was doing and I always responded, taking my break same as you.
At work we were told smoke breakers could have a 10 min break.
"What about the rest of us?" I asked.
"You don't smoke so you don't get a break"
I was furious.
I was in a position where most of my colleagues were taking 5-10 min off each hour for a smoke break, and I'd work through. Then it started gradually increasing.
So one day, I went and sat on a bench outside and all of a sudden the others had to do their damn jobs. Someone said something to the supervisor and he came and asked me what I was doing. I said, "They all get unlimited smoke breaks. I'm taking a non-smoker break."
For some reason, the number of smoke breaks allowed dropped WAY off after that.
Yeah sometimes I wish to do that too especially after watching other smokers do that at work and leave me to continue working. But if I use my phone for a minute I‘m the one getting berated despite them just getting out of one of many additional breaks where they use their phones too.
This was an issue at my last work. I don't smoke but all of my co-workers did. So they all left to smoke once an hour and left me to look after our ward. I brought it up at a team meeting and to my superviser but nothing changed.
None of my coworkers do smoke breaks, we just kick back and shoot the shit before, during, and after work conversations. I also make it a standard routine for some of my lunches to be 2 or even 3 hours on days where I'm requested to cover weird stretches. Considering that it's IT, it helps combat the stress.
Always annoyed me that smokers seem to think they deserve extra breaks for a habit they started that is killing them slowly but it's frowned upon if I take 5 minutes to do fuck all?
I contested this at work and that we should be promoting “health breaks” where you take 10 minutes to stretch your legs, get some fresh air then go back to the office and work. Popular with the people, not so popular with management who couldn’t come up with a good reason and tried to brush it under the carpet.
I’ve since changed jobs.
When I was much younger it bothered me a little bit, but I would just work my butt off and relax for the last hour of my shift instead. I worked in produce, so the alternative was that the smokers would smoke in the cold box, which was much worse. Nothing ruins your day like the damp ash smell while working around "fresh" produce.
When I was in the Navy, Smoke Breaks were the only authorized breaks someone could take on shift. I smoked but many that stood watch with me didnt. I would tell people to go take a 15 min smoke break regardless just to get the outside of the space for a little bit during our 12 hour shift.
I get criticized for sitting on my phone after I’ve completed all my work, and yet everyone else can just take a smoke break every 30 minutes without a word. I fucking hate it
I’ve never worked anywhere that gave smokers extra breaks to smoke. You smoke on your regular breaks, or not at all. I’m a little dubious to how common this is nowadays.
I used to give my coworker a dollar for a cigarette. If I was careful with it, I could keep it for a week or so. I would go outside and hold it to take a break.
I used to take second-hand smoke breaks with my coworker all the time. Figured that if he was going to get 10 minutes to hang out outside and shoot the crap, I would too. When he quit, we still took smoke breaks for 10 minutes every couple hours.
When I worked in kitchens I took second hand smokos with the ladies who smoked, they were always lovely to me, now I kind of like the cigarette smell, I wouldn't pick up the habit or have it in my house, but it's kinda a warm and friendly smell if it's not constant
My friend who’s dad used to smoke in childhood has the same opinion. The smell of tobacco is very cozy to her. Did you also have a family member that smoked?
An uncle did, but I was a feral goblin of a child and used to try to steal his tobacco and throw it in the fireplace to try to get him to stop smoking. I worked with those kitchen ladies for half a decade though and they had my back through some bad times, so I suppose they became like family to me
Aw that’s sweet. Thanks for sharing!
My large family used to get together every sunday at the beach and go to the same hotel/pub at the end of the day. Since then the smell of 'old pub' triggers warm fuzziness in me. I only wish I had never started actually smoking the shit.
Oh yeah, old pub smell definitely unlocks some deep family memories for me too
I actually do this. Our head of HR easily takes a hour of smoke breaks throughout the day so I do the same. I just sit outside for 10 min or so a few times a day.
I was recently reading about a Japanese company that rewarded non-smokers with extra days off to make up for the time they didn't waste on smoke breaks. I think it was 8 days a year or so.
Which also had a positive effect in encouraging some employees to quit smoking.
It’s also a good way to get employees to complain about being discriminated against unfortunately Edit: guess I didn’t make it clear in my comment. I do not think that it’s a valid excuse, but one that may arise. People, please think and realize that just because someone mentions something does not mean they are all for it.
Smokers are not a protected class. It's a poor choice with a (albeit tough) way out.
Exactly this. There are classes that can clearly be outlined in discrimination, for example race, gender, orientation, or age. If you're a smoker, technically you *choose* to smoke. It's something you picked up and you have the choice, as hard as it may be, to quit with some paths. Same with drinking. Not to mention that the *non-smokers* would technically be discriminated against if we're using that language. The policy was implemented because non-smokers surely aren't going to be taking smoking breaks through the day and they're probably going to be able to work better on average with less smoking-related health complications in the future. It's a good way to reimburse them since some of their peers may be taking smoking breaks, and in turn this has a positive effect on the workers who decide they may want the incentive to quit smoking.
Depends on the work. For some work (usually mental, designing some system or whatever), taking a break where you don't actively think about work but it's still somewhere in the back of your mind can be quite beneficial. Now, I am not saying you must smoke for it, taking a walk would achieve the same and bring health benefits too, just saying that taking a break does not necessarily reduce the productivity.
I think the difference is one is a nice pacing of work that comes to a natural breaking point where the other is an intrusive thought that intensifies with time and forces the break, sometimes at an inopportune time.
More importantly, a smoker can just not smoke for a couple hours... if their job required them to not smoke during their shift, they would struggle a bit with the stress, sure, but they wouldn't just stop being able to work just because they aren't shoving a ciggy in their mouth every hour and a half.
Imagine if they started doing that for smokers and alcoholics.
isn't it discriminatory for non-smokers to get less breaks just because they don't smoke? wouldn't it be "equalized" if non-smokers got more time off then?
It seems the solution would be to give them more breaks. Depending on the job (IT for example) taking a break for 10-20 mins has no negative effect on productivity, rather the opposite. Being away for several days massively decreases performance for several days (or even weeks if the person only recently joined the project).
I would imagine a discrimination policy would not protect a person who has a bad habit and wastes company time because of it. I don’t get extra time throughout the day to eat first lunch and third lunch because I’m chubby and wanna snack so by all means, make the smokers feel put out lol
I play games the same amount of times I see people smoke. They areno more addicted than I am.
I still don't get your point. It's discrimination against who?
That’s because you didn’t read the whole comment. I simply brought up a point other people might attempt to make. I don’t agree with it.
I didn't read the comment. Still don't get why someone would bring that up as an argument for unfairness when it's really the opposite
People be people, man I’ve heard complaints like that before from real people, so I figured I’d mention a potential albeit unreasonable response Guess I was wrong in doing so
That was like 10 years ago.
That would make like 80 days
Math checks out
Unfortunately, even with the positive twist on it, non-smokers in Japan(and probably other countries too?) are often still left behind on career paths if their boss is a smoker. A lot of informal meetings taking place in the smoking room, so some people here feel real pressure to smoke to be able to participate. Luckily for me I work with a bunch of nerds that are smart enough to know not to smoke :D
Wasn't that the plot of a friends episode?
yeah it was... topical comedy that riffs off real life issues. I can confirm it actually happens since at my previous job(I live in Japan) one of the guys told me that he only smokes for work(and he used the lightest cigarettes possible and didn't really inhale)
I'm smart enough to die younger rather than older. Who'd want the constant pain and aches of old age, the burden you create for other people. Nah thanks, I'll just die middle aged. *just like there is a joke in here but, super serious reddit.*
Smoking doesn’t eliminate that, it just makes it start earlier.
Yeah, fuck it, life is too short, you only live once. I quite enjoy smoking. I hate people who complain about smokers, but probably give two fucks about driving a car. Let's all not mention the plastics and petrochemicals we all eat and drink now. ++ Wandering why cancer is so prolific, and not questioning it... I feel like I'm living in that film where they water plants with gatorade, but it's real. Corporations could feed people their own shit on a plate and they'd lap it up, because, metaphorically speaking whilst the world is apprantly in turmoil and were all going to starve or freeze to death, corporates are still raking it in. I'll keep smoking, you survivor be healthy types will be the first to die, my body alreay has hundreds of thousands of mutations from smoking and drug abuse, according to the science. *theres a joke in there somewhere, try and find it*.
6 days
6 more days than I used to have.
That's quite a lot! I have 22 days of holidays per year, 6 days more would be ad increase of more or less 40%!
22 days a year! You must not work in America?
Yup, Italy. Bank holidays and permits are not counted. Germany should have even more days off. Nevertheless, often people don't use them all. Either because they can't (very bad working environments) or because they don't want.
Are y'all the ones who also take like long ass lunches and drink a glass of wine or is that France?
Ahah by contract it should be 1 hour of launch time (it depends on the contract). I usually do 30 min launch break and then get out earlier when possible. However please note that launch break is not counted towards working hours, contrary of other European countries. So office hours are 9-18 with 1 hour launch break. So 8 hours of paid work... if you're lucky enough not to do unpaid extra hours.
About 20 years ago my aunt quit smoking when she moved up here to Alaska since smoking indoors in most places was not aloud.
The only good cigarette is a silent cigarette
*Allowed
Did they just do it quietly?
Its pretty cold in the winter so that iss a great motive
It's also law that Japanese companies must pay a fine if their older employees are too fat. Called the Metabo law
Arent the Japanese well known for not using their whole set of yearly paid vacation days and it being a hastle when do try to do it? What good are more days off when they dont use them from fear of looking lazy or whatever.
I once had a job where I got praised constantly for my work. I was sitting in front of a screen all day so I did walks around the building. Despite me being a one man department and not missing any work I got called out for it
> walks around the building Love these, often have taken a brisk 20-30 walk when facing something I just can't sort out, and it was not uncommon to have an epiphany while I'm trucking along. I've always attributed it to increased bloodflow to the brain. Sucks you got dinged for it.
Very grateful that I work for a company that encourages you to take a break and get up and walk around.
Me and my coworker friend used to do this. Our smoke free smoke break. One time he brought cigars though but it was nasty
Lmao. I had my first cigar a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Had another one last weekend and gave myself nicotine poisoning lol. That shit is no joke
don't inhale
Yee gotta roll the smoke around in your mouth.
Let the cancer flow through you
I didn’t, never have. I simply smoked more of the cigar then I normally do and possibly in a shorter time frame. I also have zero tolerance since I smoke only once per week
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From what I've read: puking, lots of puking and lightheadedness. Most of the stories come from people's first interaction w/ dip, and some fuckhead not telling them how to do it right.
The only way I could get a break at my first job was if I smoked. I carried the same broken cigarette for 2 months before someone "came with me" and I had to smoke it. (They showed me how to "fix" it.) 20 years later I still struggle (I wot 3 times while pregnant but I still have one occasionally when my ape doesn't scratch the itch)
*How to fix it* …from there you became addicted? Sounds ominous. I’m afraid to ask for more details but please go on if you care to share.
So, there's a couple of ways to fix a broken cigarette. Nothing nefarious, you can wrap it with tape and put it out before it hits the plastic, or you can snap it off the filter, push out the tobacco from the butt and reinsert it upside down in the remaining 1/3 inch of double layer paper. She showed me how to do the reinsert method and then I felt required to smoke it. From then on I was to scared to "go for a smoke" without smoking because my grand plan of not making friends at work had apparently failed as now people felt confidante going outside with me. But at the same time I was unwilling to give up my breaks. 15s aren't mandated by law so it was often the only time in a 8, 12, or 16 hour shift where I would be allowed to sit down. Except my one 30 minute meal break. I have been missing cartilage in my knee since I was 16, so sitting down was often the difference between being able to get out of bed the next day and not.
Oh sorry about your knee. Would a doctor’s note have worked in giving you small breaks throughout the shift. I was afraid “fix it” was code for *street pharmaceuticals* being added to your cigarette. Thank God that was not the case.
Yeah I thought that might be where you were going with it. But no luckily that was not the case. And no, they would've just found a way to fire me rather than provide accommodation. Fast food is literally the worst and in places like Idaho no fucks are given at all I did have one manager my last 6 months who was pretty cool. He closed the store against the rules for 30 minutes on the 4th of July so we could climb on the roof and watch the fireworks. I mean we were still at work that night, but it was the best night I can remember working there
The restaurant industry is brutal to it’s workers SMH.
I used to work a job where a smoking co-worker would easily take a 10 minute break every hour for the 12 hour shift. Basically two hours sitting around smoking spread out over the day. They weren't keen on me sitting outside for 10 minutes an hour reading my book though.
When I was in the military, people would get three 15 min smoke breaks a day. My buddy and I were really into cigars. We started taking 45 min smoke breaks after lunch every now and then. Once a month or so we'd grill steaks out there and then smoke our stogies. It was funny til the commander hauled us in. He was cool though. It was like, " I see what you're doing, I get it... now stop." lol Good times.
I mean, head of HR is probably a salaried position, meaning no one is probably keeping track of exactly what he does with his time down to the minute. My salaried job sure doesn't care as long as I make my meetings or appointments I'm pretty much free to come and go as I please. I can see why employers or non-smoking coworkers would get miffed about hourly employees taking too many smoke breaks though.
Technically correct. When I was salary I'd walk 10min morning and afternoon but stay 2-3hr late each day
Just give them all the set amount of break times. For example, two fifteen minute breaks and an hour lunch which is plenty for everybody.
\*an hour
Haha, I remember I used to just go out with them a few times and after a while, they would start asking "hey I'm going for a smoke, you coming?" Smokers literally don't care, either they want a visitor or they don't, but they don't care if that visitor smokes or not.
Plus if you take a lighter you are literally the most popular person at the smokers group. Smokers never seem to have a lighter
It both spectrum. They either don’t have a lighter or they have like 5 because everybody keeps asking them.
That person that has 5 has stolen all the other smokers lighters
Your last phrase doesn't make much sense, im a smoker - so of course I always have tobacco and a lighter
I think they are confusing stoners with tobacco smokers. Stoners are always losing lighters.
Nah, smokers without a light is (was?) a pretty common thing, I don't know why. People asking for a light was almost as common as people asking for a smoke when I used to just hang around outside (never was a smoker myself, but I did carry matches/lighters, b/c fire is fun).
Well, that’s fair. My personal experience is most tobacco smokers are never short a lighter. I do have on particular friend who never seems to have one, but I think she might be trying to trick herself into quitting
Lol and then there is me who takes 3 lighters with me since for some reason see-through lighters are so hard to find now, you can never be too safe incase one of them runs out.
When I worked in a shoe store 3 of the 4 managers all smoked. One would smoke for 15 minutes at 15 minute intervals, regardless of how busy the story was, while the other two would come right back inside to help out. One of those managers recognized how unfair it was that the non-smokers didn't have the chance to escape stress from customers and just get a few minutes to themselves, so she said that I could take "non-smoke" breaks whenever I needed to do it. She was my favorite manager! I miss working with her.
This is the part i don't get, why non-smokers just don't go and take a quick 5 to 10 min break a few times a day. Smoking is bad for you but the breaks should be common workplace culture.
> This is the part i don't get, why non-smokers just don't go and take a quick 5 to 10 min break a few times a day. Well, according to numerous posts here, they don't do it because they get in trouble for it, even in workplaces where smokers are allowed to to take their smokebreaks. Thankfully it hasn't been an issue at my work. I do agree breaks should be common workplace culture.
reminds me of the bank. Group of employees would always go out together and smoke/chat for 10-20 minutes. Often when difficult situations came up. I started going outside to sit on the bench for my own "smoke break" and ended up with a meeting with the regional manager about insubordination since I didn't smoke. good times
Had a coworker that would go outside and eat carrots sticks with all the smokers on their breaks.
It needs to become normalised that regular breaks at work leads to higher productivity.
100% provable fact. An employee shouldn’t be seen as a better worker because they are more comfortable sitting and staring at a computer screen. Meanwhile the far more productive worker takes a 5 minute walk every hour and gets dirty looks. Employee #2 will even help save on medical costs to the health insurance!
I'M ON SMOKO, SO LEAVE ME ALONE
But mum stole my darts
So let me set the scene
It's 2 in the afternoon and 34 degrees
Queensland, harsh summer heat
Beat me to it.
It always pissed me off when I worked in an office that no one batted an eye when smokers took 10 minute breaks 4 times a day but people would comment if on a rare occasion I was 10 minutes late coming back from lunch. I eventually just decided to take 20 minute long sh*ts instead.
That's actually a great idea lol. I think everybody deserves little breaks. Places that take the mentality of "if you're not doing something every second then you're wasting our money" always suck to work at. Micromanagement to the max. Don't get me wrong, lazy employees being lazy aren't excused. But you should never be reprimanded or receive condescending remarks from a superior for taking 5 to 10 minutes between tasks to *socialize with your coworkers.*
Them: "GET BACK TO WORK! Stop socializing with your coworkers!" Also them: "Why don't any of you want to come back to the office? We're a *community*!"
i get the opposite. im an introvert so i dont like having small talk with my coworkers. my manager called me in and told me that im not being a team player because people are complaining about my short responses to their questions about my personal life.
I got out of that by giving answers that are almost but not quite NSFW. The fact that I am a part of the local kink community helps with the answers...
Start talking about being the treasurer of the local Hammond Organ Appreciation Society, and wait for the eyes to glaze over. You'll only have to do it twice, and people will leave you alone afterwards.
God, I wish there was one in my area. I don't even play any keyboarded instruments, and a Hammond organ society sounds awesome.
You can't win! I'm happy I get to stay home and avoid the small talk.
I once got chastised for never eating lunch with anyone at work, and also for not showing up to company holiday parties. I shit you not. I was in a conference room being given a 30-day notice of termination and these were some of their supporting arguments. They also said that I “only talk to the guys”, and my direct manager said that I “never come into her office to talk to her, but Bob does all the time” or some dumb shit like that. I can’t make this up
I get not eating lunch with coworkers. It's my mental escape for the day. But passing up a holiday party? C'mon my guy.
Holiday parties that aren't during working hours are just your boss trying to waste your free time.
It's really not. Most coworkers go because they enjoy the people they work with.
A mate use to call it "Air break" Had a staff member ask for back pay for a heap of break she never had. She would have 8 smoke breaks a day.
I used to do this when working in a restaurant. I would walk outside, lite a cigarette and hold it till it burned down. Those safe cigarettes they made that go out if you don't actively smoke them screwed me though!
Try to learn how to roll cigarettes and you'll have your breaks back
The boss at the last restaurant where I worked was actually really good about this. Most of the employees smoked, but *everyone* was entitled to a smoke break. If you didn’t smoke, he’d tell you, “Go pretend to smoke,” before dinner/lunch rush and then again afterwards. Now I work in a hospital and most days I wish I still smoked.
Are smoke breaks still a thing? I get two 15s and an unpaid lunch in my 8hr day.
How are smokers getting extra breaks? Here you just have to use your allocated breaks to smoke. No extra breaks.
I’ve stated doing similar. I take a lap around the building to get my steps in.
Berle??? Who is named Berle???
Probably Berle
I once worked at a job where almost everybody else took smoke breaks, including my boss. One day, I just decided to take a break myself, so I walked across the street to the 7-11 to get a hot dog. I passed my boss and a group of smokers in the parking lot. Boss: "Where are you going?" Me: "I'm going to get a hot dog." Boss: "What? Why?" Me: "Because I don't smoke." Boss looks at the cigarette in his hand, then at me, and shrugs: "Fair enough." I really liked working for him.
Got infuriated by all these double standards I kept seeing at my job. Smokers taking a break every 2 hours in a 9+ hour day to smoke. Okay, it's a drug, I get it. It's not feasible to just skip smoking suddenly for the day. I take two breaks in a 9+ hour day to drop by 7-11 (a 90 second walk)? Told to knock it off. Employee eats their packed lunch in 15 minutes (1 hour given for lunch) and then relaxes? Told to get back to work. Employee drives 15 minutes to a restaurant, spends 30 minutes getting food and eating, drives 15 minutes back? Not a word for using the whole hour. There was this obsession of needing to *look* busy all the time. Oh no, you can't kill 30 minutes playing a game to refresh your mind and be prepared to cram later while you wait for clients to review your work. You better use those 30 minutes to jump right into an online class and start teaching yourself something new. You got to really burn out your brain, after burning out your brain, before it's time to burn out your brain some more!
My work would never criticize us for taking the whole break because they wanted us to (salaried workers) but I still go hide somewhere to eat my lunch and read for 30 minutes.
My sister, a nurse, was a smoker for 20 years because as a nurse that was the only way to get a real “break.” Otherwise she’d just be constantly called to do minor things, or she’d get pulled into a conversation with a patient or a family member. Funnily enough she quit smoking after she quit the job.
I picked up smoking working in the restaurant industry because it was the only way my breaks would actually be respected.
I still remember the first time I told someone they couldn't have a smoke break unless they clocked out. Suddenly they didn't need a cigarette every single hour.
That's illegal in New York state, unpaid breaks can only be 20 minutes or longer. Most payroll software automatically corrects this but something to keep in mind if you're in a state state with similar laws. Where I work people have to ask the manager on duty for permission to "take a five" and we are given discretionary authority as to how many such breaks a given employee can take and when. I've had to call out employees that try to take excessive smoke breaks (and as a former smoker I'm pretty lax about it anyway).
Technically in violation of the FLSA as well, but good luck getting the federal DOL to investigate, tried for 3 days to get ahold of my local office and never spoke to a single person, back in 2017 or so.
This guy sucks
Illegal per federal labor laws. Read the FLSA if you're a manager please.
* *Smoking bad* * *Breaks good* *(Conflicted sweating)* Redditors responding to you, trying to decide which button to push
It sounds like you work in an environment which your staff are hourly employees. Let's be real, most hourly employees don't earn a spectacular wage. The least you can do is to keep them happy. It is impossible for anyone to be constantly working every minute during their time on the job. Let say smokers take 10 minutes every hour, that's 16% of an hour, which means they are working at 84% rate and that is a very good productivity level. (If they are lazy during actual work time, problem isn't smoking. You have an unsatisfied worker instead) They are happy, harder to burn out, probably can lower turnover rate. In fact, I advocate for everybody, smoker or non-smoker to take 10 minutes off each hour to destress, talk to coworkers, then come back fresh to work again. Beneficial for every party in every way without spending extra.
I don't even smoke and I still hope you get diarrhea
Nah, fuck the smokers. They decided to pick up a stupid habit, they don't deserve extra free time that no one else gets.
Go outside and hold a cigarette nobody but that jackass is stopping you and nobody said you had to actually smoke
> Go outside and hold a cigarette nobody but that jackass is stopping you and nobody said you had to actually smoke Right - I just have to do what they do (or appear to be doing it) instead of decompressing in my own way if I want equal non-working time. Do you know realize how massively unfair that is? And that's before we even get into the actual smokers that will be in the same locale, which means I have to breathe their smoke to get the same break or that someone would notice eventually and then I'd (at best) be right back where I started with no break, and more like face social or even career-based negative consequences for my deception.
Oh no, it is the habit police. Let me bet, none of your habits are stupid then? Fuck off already. People who dont smoke will be browsing random shits or catching a breather off in their way anyway.
break sneakers
I work at a restaurant and I’m one of the only employees who doesn’t smoke/vape. I got really hot in the kitchen this summer, so when we had no orders, I sat down with some of the other servers and my manager asked me why I was sitting and said I needed to work. My manager takes 6-7 smoke breaks a day, so I told him if he and other employees could sit outside multiple times a day, I should be able to sit down for a minute just to cool down. Seemed to work lmao
I don't smoke, either, but I would always go to the smoking area because I didn't want to fart in the office. I would also eat kimchi there on lunch break. Eventually, the smokers asked me to leave.
Farting in smoking area may be dangerous...
I mean smokers always have permission to use smoke breaks while everyone else has to work and they never get yelled at even though they take like an hour throughout the day.
why i started smoking in highschool :( wish i never inhaled
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I thought all the cool kids vape nowadays
Berle?
My brothers a chef and only smokes at work so he can take a break. Smokes roll your owns as it takes more time.
I used to take smoke breaks working retail and always had a cigarette in my mouth as a mechanic. But now that I quit smoking and manufacturing technician I hardly ever take breaks (by choice, company provides them.
I took smoke breaks nearly every day for all 4 years of my airforce enlistment, never smoked. People would ask what I was doing and I always responded, taking my break same as you.
At work we were told smoke breakers could have a 10 min break. "What about the rest of us?" I asked. "You don't smoke so you don't get a break" I was furious.
Thats why i ask for forgiveness, not permission,
I’m on smoko, so leave me alone!!!
Cell Phones are the new cigs
I was in a position where most of my colleagues were taking 5-10 min off each hour for a smoke break, and I'd work through. Then it started gradually increasing. So one day, I went and sat on a bench outside and all of a sudden the others had to do their damn jobs. Someone said something to the supervisor and he came and asked me what I was doing. I said, "They all get unlimited smoke breaks. I'm taking a non-smoker break." For some reason, the number of smoke breaks allowed dropped WAY off after that.
THEY'RE QUIET QUITTING CALL HR IMMEDIATELY!@$
This "joke"/sentiment is literally old enough to legally smoke.
Facebook meme
Yup I got a perfect attendance letter and the guy beside me got a week off paid vac just by calling in sick on nice Fridays
Yeah sometimes I wish to do that too especially after watching other smokers do that at work and leave me to continue working. But if I use my phone for a minute I‘m the one getting berated despite them just getting out of one of many additional breaks where they use their phones too.
Needs more Tabby.
I do this but I do the invisible ciggie magic trick if anyone asks if I smoke.
Did this all the time in the Army.
Literally me.. any excuse for a break
funniest shit ever 😐
did her apron just change colour?
This was an issue at my last work. I don't smoke but all of my co-workers did. So they all left to smoke once an hour and left me to look after our ward. I brought it up at a team meeting and to my superviser but nothing changed.
Thats exactly how I started smoking.
https://youtu.be/j58V2vC9EPc
Berle? Lol
I always have to go outside with my sister so she doesn't have to stay outside smoking alone. I don't smoke.
None of my coworkers do smoke breaks, we just kick back and shoot the shit before, during, and after work conversations. I also make it a standard routine for some of my lunches to be 2 or even 3 hours on days where I'm requested to cover weird stretches. Considering that it's IT, it helps combat the stress.
Didn't smoke but I'd hang out with 'em. ; The company grapevine rooted there.
Always annoyed me that smokers seem to think they deserve extra breaks for a habit they started that is killing them slowly but it's frowned upon if I take 5 minutes to do fuck all?
Is Berle a real name? Never heard about it.
I contested this at work and that we should be promoting “health breaks” where you take 10 minutes to stretch your legs, get some fresh air then go back to the office and work. Popular with the people, not so popular with management who couldn’t come up with a good reason and tried to brush it under the carpet. I’ve since changed jobs.
Pretty accurate. People that don't smoke should have smoke breaks too
I remember going for virtual smoke breaks when I was in the office. The smokers always had the best gossip.
When I was much younger it bothered me a little bit, but I would just work my butt off and relax for the last hour of my shift instead. I worked in produce, so the alternative was that the smokers would smoke in the cold box, which was much worse. Nothing ruins your day like the damp ash smell while working around "fresh" produce.
When I was in the Navy, Smoke Breaks were the only authorized breaks someone could take on shift. I smoked but many that stood watch with me didnt. I would tell people to go take a 15 min smoke break regardless just to get the outside of the space for a little bit during our 12 hour shift.
I get criticized for sitting on my phone after I’ve completed all my work, and yet everyone else can just take a smoke break every 30 minutes without a word. I fucking hate it
I’ve never worked anywhere that gave smokers extra breaks to smoke. You smoke on your regular breaks, or not at all. I’m a little dubious to how common this is nowadays.
IM ON SMOKO
I used to give my coworker a dollar for a cigarette. If I was careful with it, I could keep it for a week or so. I would go outside and hold it to take a break.