Smoking breaks in offices
Majority of the offices in the U.S. and Europe allow people to take smoking breaks. Those who smoke can ask their employer to take a 5 minute break every few hours or so. This way, smokers can indulge in pleasing their lungs while nonsmokers can work inside.
Wait! Did you just read that smokers get to go out and smoke while nonsmokers work inside? Yes, you read that right. Nonsmokers at this moment cannot get any break that falls along the borderlines of “I’m going to go breath fresh air; can I get 10 minutes?“, “I’m an artist and I need to draw the 17th tatoo on my chest. Can I get a 5 minute break?“, “I’m getting bored looking at all the ugly faces around me. Can I go and stare at people on the streets for a while?” and “I’m a nonsmoker, and I need to go tell that smoker why smoking is bad. Can I get 5 minutes?” All of these questions will probably only get you a stare.
Is it justified to give smokers, who’re engaged in a personal habit that almost everyone else in the office doesn’t agree to, a few minutes paid break every few hours? Is it justifiable to tell nonsmokers that since they’re not addicted to something like smoking, which is something that smokers can’t quit easily, they don’t need a break? Should we analyse the smoking habit itself in such a situation, or should we focus upon the office scenario itself and give everyone a break every few hours, regardless of whether they use it to smoke or draw tatoo on their arms?
It’s not easy to avoid criticising the concept of smoking itself in such a situation. However, the only way to bring equality and the same rights to everyone in an office is to assign equal opportunities, whether they be for a job or in the form of a few minutes break, to everyone, regardless of what they want to do with it. The moment one starts citing the action, like smoking, associated with the subject, like office breaks, it will be easy to stop giving someone something that everyone else gets based on the character of the person, their personality, their job status, and their belief.
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( January 18th, 2006 at 3:00 am )
Hey, we dont have special time for smokers in our country. But if the system works the way you have described, it would be very unjust for non-smokers.
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( January 18th, 2006 at 1:26 pm )
nope, not right, not right at all :\
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( January 18th, 2006 at 4:58 pm )
Yeah, I agree with Valerie; it isn’t right!!!
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( January 19th, 2006 at 10:00 pm )
Sawai — > Yes, nonsmokers sometime argue that it’s not fair to them, as in the end, in such cases, they work more than smokers, get fewer office break minutes and in the end, get paid the same amount.
Valerie — >Yeah, it’s interesting.
Chau — > Yep, very interesting.
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( July 12th, 2008 at 11:20 am )
You bring up a very interesting point…
Most people never stop to think of such things, but you’re right, I suppose that isn’t fair now is it? :>
It does seem to advocate smoking…this rule probably came about through many office workers smoking within the office way back when.
-Ren
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( September 4th, 2009 at 9:32 pm )
Look at smoking from all sides. All smokers are aware that smoking is injurious to health. Yet, many continue to smoke even when they know that this habit actually kills. Stop this habit before it stops your life and modern quit smoking products-right decision.
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Twitter: @katiejglen :
( February 9th, 2010 at 2:45 am )
The average smoker in the UK spends around 30 mins a day on smoking breaks – that’s almost 3 working weeks. Not only is that an irritation to no smokers and smokers may have to stay later to catch up, but it’s a huge financial cost to businesses. Proper support from business to help their staff quit (70% do want to give up, but can’t), not only improves employee health, but profits too!
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