smoke breaks!!

[Gerianne]

I never heard of getting extra break time for smoking. I have been out of the work force for a number of years, though. At the apartment complex where I live, there is a smoking area of benches out the back door at  the back of the building. The front area benches are for non- smokers.

[animikokala]

When I worked for the state of TN, the smokers in our department could go out for a smoke whenever they felt like it (and they did, usually every other hour).  But if you weren't going out on a "smoke break", you better not leave your cubicle unless you have papers in your hand...

It does happen in some places; in others, it's the smokers who get the raw end of the deal.  Just depends on where you are. 

[jwallbank]

I dont mind smokers and i dont judge them but when you are supposed to smoke 15 feet or whatever but when you smoke right by the door so i have to smell it that bothers me when your decisions start to affect me!!!!! SMoke all you want BUT I CHOOSE NOT TO SMOKE so do not smoke BY ME !!!!!!!

What do you mean 15ft from a door, I worked in MD and it was first 25ft then raised to 50 ft and then it became any government building (state/fed/local) and normally these building are grouped together, so when I left, i was traveling a good 5 mins just to find a smoking area. I also only took 2 breaks a day and Lunch, these were the only times I smoked. I found other people taking more breaks than me - to get coffee/sodas or whatever. I found where I worked it was more likely a nonsmoker to take more breaks than smokers. My brother works in NY and you can't smoke in Bars, or just about anywhere anymore and the same rules apply to Government Buildings (50 feet). The thing that bothers me is the hipocracy of government. They get a large chunk of change into their coffers from the taxes on cigaretts (up to $5 in some states), and then Federal taxes also. NYC you pay $10 a pack, I live in VA., where they makes them, wholesale they are about $1.35 a pack, they rest of the amount is state tax or Govt tax. The retailer doesn't even make that much. I tell you if we did this to drinkers, there would be an uproar - you know why - because just about all politicians take a swig or two.

[masked_brown_guy]

It is the same thing as a person who takes a bathroom break even worse, a person who constipated and takes like ten minutes to take a dump. It is also the same thing as two or more people who have a conversation in passing longer than two minutes. Cigarettes do not take that long to smoke, so it really isn't a problem. 

[acurtsinger2]

first things first, if you work 4 hours you are entitled to a 15 break, if you work 8 hours you are intitled to a half hour lunch break, and an additional 15 minute break, and what we do with it is a private matter, as long as we don't smioke in a non smoking area.  so if these rules aply at your job, tell the boss you want to take your breaks, because if they think you don't care if you have your breaks or not, they definitly aren't going to volunteer it to you

[Tinachelune]

When I worked for the state of TN, the smokers in our department could go out for a smoke whenever they felt like it (and they did, usually every other hour).  But if you weren't going out on a "smoke break", you better not leave your cubicle unless you have papers in your hand...

It does happen in some places; in others, it's the smokers who get the raw end of the deal.  Just depends on where you are. 

WOW....That does not seem fair at all.  =(

[Bigwhite420]

Ya im a smoker and i dont get any good treatment when i ask my boss if i could have a smokebreak he always say no but if i ask for gust a break he says yes

[alina6]

I'm not big on the smoke breaks because I don't smoke. i guess as long as they get there job done there is not much you can do.

[ariet09]

At my job, my boss lets me take "smoke" breaks even tho he knows i dont smoke. he just likes to keep things fair.

[gizmo42]

Its there lungs but it can also go into mine when i breathe it in!!!! But i was meaning i dont think its fair that they get extra time off !!!! I have seen them getting extra breaks !!!
[/quote

Then if you do see it then say something about it but don't make it known. You also breath in all the other junk that goes in the air beside cigarrette smoke

[SherylsShado]

does it bother any of you that sometimes people who smoke get special treatment? because they smoke they can get breaks more!!!! this bothers me !!!! I can understand its an addiction and that is your choice to smoke but why do they get extra breaks sometimes then people who dont smoke well anyways this bothers me

I can totally understand this post because everywhere I have worked, I have seen it happen and it didn't matter if the boss was a smoker or not.  If the boss WAS a smoker then the smoking employees knew that he knew what a smoking addiction was like and that he would surely give them extra smoke breaks.  If the boss WASN'T a smoker then smokers would tell him they had an addiction and they HAD to smoke and they couldn't help it if the boss didn't know what it was like---they HAD to go, and so they were told to go.  It wouldn't take long before the employees were going more & more frequently and staying longer...and it was the non-smokers that had to pick up their slack.   

What's a non-smoker to do?   Let your boss & co-workers know that you'll now be taking smoking breaks too. 

You have just as much stress/pressure on the job as smokers do and you deserve as much time for yourself as an addict does.  For a job to refuse is discriminatory.  No where is there a rule that says you HAVE to be a smoker to take a smoking break...

[Azanne07]

At my work, you smoke on your scheduled break or oh well. althou I have seen employees use the bathroom and take a quick smoke in there.

[tuffys_daughtr]

I dont mind smokers and i dont judge them but when you are supposed to smoke 15 feet or whatever but when you smoke right by the door so i have to smell it that bothers me when your decisions start to affect me!!!!! SMoke all you want BUT I CHOOSE NOT TO SMOKE so do not smoke BY ME !!!!!!!

What do you mean 15ft from a door, I worked in MD and it was first 25ft then raised to 50 ft and then it became any government building (state/fed/local) and normally these building are grouped together, so when I left, i was traveling a good 5 mins just to find a smoking area. I also only took 2 breaks a day and Lunch, these were the only times I smoked. I found other people taking more breaks than me - to get coffee/sodas or whatever. I found where I worked it was more likely a nonsmoker to take more breaks than smokers. My brother works in NY and you can't smoke in Bars, or just about anywhere anymore and the same rules apply to Government Buildings (50 feet). The thing that bothers me is the hipocracy of government. They get a large chunk of change into their coffers from the taxes on cigaretts (up to $5 in some states), and then Federal taxes also. NYC you pay $10 a pack, I live in VA., where they makes them, wholesale they are about $1.35 a pack, they rest of the amount is state tax or Govt tax. The retailer doesn't even make that much. I tell you if we did this to drinkers, there would be an uproar - you know why - because just about all politicians take a swig or two.

I very much agree about if this pertained to the drinkers...I smoke but rarely drink, I kind of wish it was the other way around because the drinkers sure have it better. Where I live they have many festivals and gatherings every year that always involve alcohol (I do not attend). They promote it fully and I have known people who have gotten several DUI's (DWI'S) and still have their driver's license.

[tashamjoy]

Ok let me be clear I do not mind if they smoke or they smoke on their breaks but I do not think it fair if I have to work harder for them to just go out and smoke I do not get that break this is not their scheduled break this is just extra so you think its fair because they have an addiction i have to pick up their slack thats not fair i will ask my boss if i can run next door for food he says no when this is equivalent to the time someone would smoke but he lets people smoke sorry thats not fair they can smoke but i dont get to eat that is just unjust seriously if they want to ruin their lungs go ahead its not about smoking its about the UNFAIR TREATMENT !!!!

[lvstephanie]

In our city (prob'ly state as well), smokers really have the shaft. They only get their allotted 15 min. break every 4 hrs. and have to be I think 15 ft. away from any door or bus stop... If you work downtown, most doors are within 15ft of each other, so there are actually very few places where smokers can go. So smokers have to use most of their break time just to get to a location where they can smoke and are lucky to get a few puffs in before they have to head back. I know one job that I worked at, the entire staff (employees and employers) got together and voted to replace the 2x15 min breaks with 3x10 min breaks instead. It was the same amount of time off, but it allowed the smokers an additional break for smoking; however even in this case, the smokers didn't get any special treatment, but rather everyone in the company got the same number / time for their breaks.