Are cigarette breaks unfair?

With an average of four smoking breaks per working day, Vapourlites.com decided to find out what non-smoking office workers across a range of industries really think and feel about their colleagues who smoke. So, are cigarette breaks unfair?

A survey of 622 non-smoking office workers from across the country revealed:

• 66% of non-smoking office workers believe it is unfair that their colleagues who smoke take ‘additional’ breaks throughout the day
• 58% of non-smoking office workers think that those who smoke during normal working hours should be made to ‘clock’ or ‘record’ their smoking breaks
• 44% of non-smoking office workers citied smoking breaks as being commonly ‘disruptive’, especially when working together in teams
• 30% of non-smoking office workers admitted to formally or informally complaining to seniors about how often and how long smoking breaks are taken for

Most office-based employers, regardless of their industry, have a number of workers who smoke. Their tendency to smoke will often be used as a coping mechanism to handle work-related stress and pressures. Many employers therefore willingly allow workers who smoke to do so whenever they get the urge. Whilst it may seem like a satisfactory arrangement, workers who don’t smoke may feel otherwise.

A study on behalf of the British Heart Foundation astoundingly revealed that smokers disappear up to four times a day for a duration of ten minutes each. The same study also found that smoking breaks cost employers an astronomical £1,815 a year for each full-time employee who regularly puffs away during working hours.

So how do the businesses in Suffolk feel about it? Let us know how smoking affects your business by leaving a comment on any of our social media pages or emailing us on news@suffolkwire.co.uk with the email titles ‘Cigarette Breaks in Suffolk’.