Thread: Smokers Not As Productive As Non-Smokers

Throughout my working years, I've noticed how smokers are more likely to be less productive then the non-smoking workers. And I won't go into details about my previous jobs for fear of boring you, but will tell you about how things are where I work.

In my company, everyone is given at least 2 10 min breaks within a 8 hour work period plus we get a hour for lunch. Smokers have a desginated "smoke room" they go to to smoke on a floor directly below my companies. (And yes, it's within the smoking ordinances of my city b/c it's not connected directly to my building.) Anyhow, employees are to clock out for each smoke break and we have a program on our computers that show who is in and who's out, and if on break, etc.. Well, what many of the smokers do is take not just the 2 10 min breaks, but also take 2,3,4, or even more breaks ontop of the 2 they are allowed. Additionally, they don't clock out.. So no telling how long they stay in the smoke room. And if you estimate that each smoker takes an extra 20 minutes a day to smoke over the allowed break times, that equates to 86.68 work hours WASTED on their stupid habit. And thats just for what they took over the allowed (2) 10 min smoke breaks...

In another instance, I know a restaraunt owner who has banned his employees from smoking b/c he was tired of having to do their jobs while they sat on their butts taking smoke breaks all the time and not taking care of customers. If they aren't on their lunch break, they are not allowed to smoke period.. Needless to say, things are a lot more productive for my friend's restaraunt.

In conclusion, smokers are a burden on most businesses on the grounds of productivity b/c of the time taken to participate in the habit. Sooner or later, I suspect smoking will be totally banned from any public place everywhere in the US.

Tootles.

Too bad you don't run the company. Maybe you would be able to fire the whole lot of them.

I will tell you something East TX Dude, I have smoked for years and smoke at work taking one five minute break in the morning and one five minute break in the afternoon. I also smoke during my lunch break. I do agree there are many smoking employees that abuse this excuse and seem to take a half hour everytime they have a smoke. I as a manager did not allow that and if they wanted to smoke they had to do it on their breaks one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They were not allowed to be out smoking during work hours.

Also with regards to smokers not being not as productive as non-smokers, I will tell you that I do the work of three people even if they are non-smokers. It is about work ethic and people who abuse it also abuse leaving early, sicktime, coming in late, leaving early basically any excuse to get out of work - those people are called slackers

Where I worked for 24 yrs., the do nothings were Union members! If they didn't have something to complain about, they would start rumors to get people mad.

The smokers did more work there then a handful of these instigators.

Smokers have also endured artillery bombardments that lasted weeks, and plowed down machine gun nests. Other smokers have worked 15 hour work days and their fingers to the bone with one of their few pleasures of the day being a few draws of nicotine.

Tobacco consumption has been a part of our society since the founding of America.

While I do not encourage smoking, I do not like to see smokers described as bad people or parasites because they are not. In NC, tobacco money built most of our schools and Universities including our state legislature annex.

Some of the most renowned figures in US and Global History were flagrant smokers.

W

Well said lsmith.

Thanks William, moosetracks and had_enuf touche

EastTX-Dude,

We all have our pet peeves and you have expressed one of yours.

I'm a smoker but a courteous one. I don't even smoke inside my own home and rarely in my car. It's been some time since I was employed but I remember rarely taking a break for a cigarette because I didn't want most people to know that I smoked. During my 8-hour day the only cigarette I usually had was when I went off by myself on my lunch break.

Since we're on the subject of pet peeves, here's one of mine expressed in the poem, "Bovine Poetry."

The gum chewing human
and the cud chewing cow

They both look alike
But there is a difference somehow

Ah, I see it
It's clear to me now

It's the intelligent expression
On the face of the cow

I first saw this poem a very long time ago in an Ann Lander's column and the author was marked unknown.

There's nothing more nerve grating and jarring that makes my productivity plummet than to be around someone smacking and chomping on a wad of gum. And, it's really gross when placed on the side of a plate. Looking at it is enough to help me with dieting - which I need. If I wasn't such a law abiding citizen, I'd light up several cigarettes at once and blow the smoke in the faces of the gum chompers.

Don't even get me started on secondhand scent. I have had allergic reactions, sometimes severe although not life threatening, to perfumes, potpouri (spell?) and other fragrances. I remember when working in offices, how some women dowsed themselves so heavily they must have been wearing the whole bottle of perfume.

Now, I hope I haven't offended anyone but I was just trying to make a point with EastTX-Dude that we all have our irritating habits.

What is the purpose of posting this?

Well, I'll jump on the confession wagon and admit I smoke too. And I also am a courteous smoker but living in CA there are strict laws, can't smoke many areas including beaches and parks. Gone totally overboard but it is one of the politically correct things to attack. Also popular to tax. We have a $2+ a pack tax increase on our Nov ballot to help pay for the hospitals. What???? We know why the hospitals out here are closing. Plus it has been pointed out that much of the tax already paid by smokers is going to whatever things cities want it used for and not for what it was intended for. But just watch, the Nov tax will probably pass because non-smokers figure why not, won't affect me? What everyone doesn't see is the government want smokers because they love the tax money. As Rush Limbaugh said one day, people ought to be thanking smokers for paying for things most people don't have to. Smokers are not bad people although the politically correct like to portray us that way nowadays. Get off our backs and go after illegal aliens or people who break laws.
That's my 2 cents re the subject.

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Smokers have also endured artillery bombardments that lasted weeks, and plowed down machine gun nests. Other smokers have worked 15 hour work days and their fingers to the bone with one of their few pleasures of the day being a few draws of nicotine.

Tobacco consumption has been a part of our society since the founding of America.

While I do not encourage smoking, I do not like to see smokers described as bad people or parasites because they are not. In NC, tobacco money built most of our schools and Universities including our state legislature annex.

Some of the most renowned figures in US and Global History were flagrant smokers.

W

People take things for granted and in this case, I notice smokers, on a large scale, take advatange of their habit and will take as many breaks as possible. I'm sure theres a lot of hard working smokers like you mentioned, but you can't deny there are a lot of smokers with poor work ethics..

I'm a smoker but a courteous one. I don't even smoke inside my own home and rarely in my car. It's been some time since I was employed but I remember rarely taking a break for a cigarette because I didn't want most people to know that I smoked. During my 8-hour day the only cigarette I usually had was when I went off by myself on my lunch break.

I have a roommate who smokes, I don't allow him to smoke in my house.. One thing is the smell, plus it irratates my eyes... But also, it's a fire hazard, one I've seen come up many times with apartment complexes my mom overseas as a regional manager. And I've seen first hand what a careless smoker can do when not paying attention and set their home on fire.. Not just their home, but in some cases, other people's homes as well.

As for you not wanting others to know you don't smoke, that seems very polite of you in a way, but not necessary.. I think u should do as u please and not feel shamed for it.. It does make me wonder if you live/work in a area that doesn't have many smokers and thats the reason for your comment.

Also popular to tax. We have a $2+ a pack tax increase on our Nov ballot to help pay for the hospitals.

Jean,

Glad you brought this up because while I'm against smoking and don't like it.. I'm also against our gov't trying to tax us unneccessarily... In the case of the $2 per pack tax, thats just crazy.. I believe at this time, RI has one of the highest taxes on a pack of cigs at around $1.25 a pack, some places in Illinois has over a $2/pack tax, but only in certain places.. Anyways, the national average for taxes on cigs is like $0.65 a pack.. Thats within reason to me. But for a politician to come out and say they need to bilk the smokers with a $2/pack tax to cover the costs of hospitals is not right. Smokers aren't the only ones using the hospitals and while it can be said that, yes, smokers illnesses to contribute to decline of our health care budget, it does not justify this kind of taxing of smokers. Anyways, hope that doesn't go through.. And if it does pass, that $2 per pack tax will not go for just hospitals, it's going to go for special interest and pork barrel type projects.. Trust me, those politicians aint fooling me with that crap.