Smoking Breaks....How many?

Beancounter

How many smoking breaks would most people regard as acceptable during a 8 hour day outwith the usual tea and lunch breaks?

I ask as I work in a team of 2, someone new started 2 weeks ago and I counted 10 smoke breaks today, the last of which was 5 minutes before the end of the day. Meanwhile muggins here has to deal with customers, take phone calls etc.

Having lost my mum to cancer just a few weeks ago I am not exactly a fan of smoking or smokers but respect their right for a break whilst not exactly agreeing with it but this woman is just taking the mickey.

Daedalus

Right to a break? If I was an employer I would ban any smoking whilst in uniform or smelling of smoke whilst dealing with customers.

HappyMJ

Zero is reasonable. You have the statutory unpaid lunch break in which to have a smoke if they wish. Complain to management and recommend to them to get a nicotine patch for the time that they are at work and need the nicotine fix.

I am a smoker myself.

poet123

Ten breaks is ridiculous, I would be having words about it.

McKneff

I'm a smoker but never expected to be able to smoke in work time apart from my tea break morning, lunch time and tea break in the afternoon.

I'd be complaining if I was in your shoes to be honest.

Annisele

Unless they're taking shorter lunch breaks to compensate, zero.

A colleague of mine takes 30 minutes for lunch (instead of the hour the rest of us gets), then spreads the other 30 minutes through the day for smoking breaks.

Ten smoking breaks in a day has to be at least an hour and a half away from their desk. Either they have some medical condition they don't want to tell you about (and they're really spending the time in the bathroom or something), or they are indeed taking the p*ss.

Torry_Quine

Other than proper breaks then none is the answer. Why do some smokers think that they can have extra breaks! :mad:

Wail

Start taking Kit Kat breaks. You'll be fat but you will get the point across.

Seriously, ten is taking the mickey and unless they are forfeiting part of their breaks, they should not be taking any in work time. It frustrates me that some think that they can still take the mickey like this.

Sambucus_Nigra

Beancounter wrote: »

How many smoking breaks would most people regard as acceptable during a 8 hour day outwith the usual tea and lunch breaks?

I ask as I work in a team of 2, someone new started 2 weeks ago and I counted 10 smoke breaks today, the last of which was 5 minutes before the end of the day. Meanwhile muggins here has to deal with customers, take phone calls etc.

Having lost my mum to cancer just a few weeks ago I am not exactly a fan of smoking or smokers but respect their right for a break whilst not exactly agreeing with it but this woman is just taking the mickey.

What does your manager say about all this?

splishsplash

I'd be complaining too, there's no such thing as a cigarette break, as far as I'm aware. You smoke in your scheduled breaks or do without. I'm an ex-smoker, and never in all my years expected a 'smoking break'.

Frogletina

I used to work in an office and the girl opposite me went for cigarette breaks all the time.

Once I was due to train her to cover my job when I was away the following week and was waiting for her to come back after her lunch and when she did she logged on to her computer and then went off for a smoking break! I think she had one every hour, but I was not allowed to go to the canteen for extra tea breaks...

Still, it is much better than when smoking was allowed at the desks, I once sat near to a chain smoker and it was awful. The smokers really affected me but the staff and managers alike said that it was allowed so I had to put up with it. I'm so happy things have changed in that respect.