Smoking Breaks

Prairie

The Smoke-free Illinois Act prohibits smoking in virtually all public places and workplaces. We have several employees who go outside to smoke 5-6 times/day. Needless to say, when they are outside smoking, they are not working. We do not have a break policy at this time. Does anyone have a smoking break policy they could share?

Nevada HR

Our policy permits two fifteen minute breaks in an 8 hr shift, plus a half hour or an hour lunch period for all employees. Smokers don't get extra breaks. Hope this helps.

ray a

Same as Nevada HR.... we have been smoke free in NY for years. We have a break policy, two 15 minute breaks per 8 hour work day, but nothing extra for smokers. We have a smoking policy that says in part, "Employees who wish to smoke may do so outside only during regularly scheduled breaks and lunch periods." Giving smokers extra breaks is unfair to the non-smokers. Of course, we used to have a GM who would run outside and take 30 one minute smoke breaks.

davids

Same here in Oregon. We provide employees with two 15-minute breaks. There are no special breaks for smokers. Effective January 1, 2009, the Oregon Indoor Clean Air law will also prohibit smoking within 10 feet of a building entrance, exit, windows that open, and ventilation intakes. As winters in Oregon are somewhat "misty", it will be interesting to see how many smokers are willing to stay 10 feet away from the protection of building overhangs and awnings.

You might also work with your health insurance provider, EAP provider, or local hospital/clinic to offer smoking cessation classes to your employees.

plynnl

Washington is also smoke free including bars and restaurants and smokers have to stay at least 25 feet from an entrance, exit, etc. This has been in effect approximately one year . You see huddles of smokers outside businesses and they are not 25 feet away, but I am not sure how much manpower is available for enforcement.

Wildsporty

We do not allow smoking on our premises at all including the parking lot. If smokers wish to smoke they need to be inside their cars or leave and go down the road aways or across the street to the motel. There is also a duck pond a block away they can walk to if they wish. We are a health food company and cannot have people outside smoking as customers are coming in to buy product.

We give two 15 minute breaks one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Some employees take a 30 minute lunch, some take an hour lunch, depending on their schedule we have flex schedules.

We do not have many smokers as we make the drug free- smoke free -alcohol free policy very clear to all new interviewing employees. We don't ask if they smoke we simply let them know it is not allowed on our premises at any time.

Shirley

cnghr

We allow two fifteen-minute breaks, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, and I think our smokers adhere to that pretty well. We used to have an indoor smoking room and a LOT more smokers on staff and it was common for them to run to the smoking room for a minute or two to smoke several times a day outside of normal break times, but banning smoking indoors seems to have stopped that issue. Far fewer of our employees smoke now and all the ones who do seem to be good about where they smoke and how long they take to do it.

Prairie

Thanks to all of you for your input. We also have a law in Illinois that prohibits smoking inside public buildings and within 15 ft. of the entrance, open windows, etc. The employees who are abusing their smoking privileges are 15 ft. from the door, but they are out there numerous times during the day - sometimes every hour. Our administrator is hesitant to ask the board to approve 2 15 minute breaks/day, as we do not have to give breaks by law (other than one meal break), and it will mean more employees leaving their desks than do now. This is all complicated by the fact that one of our Department Heads is the biggest abuser. On top of going outside for smoking breaks, he disrupts employees by talking...he won't shut up! I've thrown him out of my office many times because of his incessant blabbering. The Administrator doesn't feel that the Dept. Head is negligent in his duties and has told those of us who have complained to mind our own business.

njjel

What do your managers adhere to as far as smoke "breaks" are concerned? All of our managers are salaried ee's. But if we take time off we must take it from our accrued time. Howevever it seems that they don't think smoke breaks count and don't take it from their accrued time which makes the managers who don't smoke angry because they don't get breaks. How do you handle that?