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I
have a slight problem. In our office 3/4 of the workers smoke. That isn't the
problem, the problem is they take two to five cigarette breaks a day for at
least five minutes each time. This doesn't include the hour lunch we receive.
There have been a lot of complaints from the people who work out in the shop
about this and it doesn't seem that our boss is doing anything about it. On top
of this, these individuals are complaining about their work load. We have a
communication committee but everybody in it smokes and definitely will not go
for the idea of no smoke breaks. What can I do?
Signed,
Fired Up
Dear Fired Up:
It's time for one of the Workplace Doctors' favorite strategies. . . creative protest!
You don't need fewer smoke breaks. What you need is more people taking smoke breaks! Apparently, management thinks being addicted to tobacco is justification for having several breaks from work each day (it sounds ludicrous when put that way doesn't it?). So why not get together all the people in the shop who are complaining and head out for some smoke breaks? Get some cigarettes and distribute them and then go outside and stand around chatting with lit cigarettes in your hands. Whenever one regular smoker heads out for a break, send several "new" smokers out to join them. Or, if you feel so moved, send the whole shop out for some smoke breaks.
Right now the smokers who are taking breaks are making the rest of you take up the slack and so their absence from the shop isn't noticed by management. If lots of you go out and smoke, that should get management's attention and you might see a policy enacted sooner rather than later.
One note of caution: DON'T INHALE!!
WEGO when all workers are given equal breaks.
Dan West