Smoking Breaks

Kenjohnnie · June 2004

We have a no smoking policy anywhere in our building but we allow smoking outside. As time goes on more smokers are taking more breaks and longer breaks. Non-smokers are complaining about the amount of time being taken by the smokers and about the lost productivity. How would you suggest we address the problem especially since the general manager is a smoker himself?

Gillian3 · June 2004

If the general manager is out there with the group, you should first talk to the GM and tell him/her what the effects are. Then, get the GM to get the group back to where it should be.

Kenjohnnie · June 2004

The GM is not involved with the employee abuse. He is just sensitive to the perception that he is coming down on the smokers while he himself is one.

deniseE · June 2004

Policies are policies. If breaks are only for a set amount of time, then you can start progressive discipline (after speaking with the GM)...

We give ee's 2 15 minute breaks...smokers are permitted to break this into 3 10 minute breaks, if they prefer.

Shadowfax · June 2004

Who better to come down on the smokers than a felow smoker who also just happens to be the head honcho? And, particularly when he is on his break, he must make it a point to scrupulously abide by the time limits BY OBVIOUS EXAMPLE or no policy will be taken seriously.

Bill ONeill · June 2004

We went from smoking in the rest rooms only (how gross) to smoking in break areas only to smoking in dedicated rooms to no smoking in the building (yea). A fair number of employees have stopped smoking, but we still have a hard core who smoke. For the factory workers, they are only allowed to smoke (outside) on their breaks. Management folks are allowed a quick break as desired. We have very few abuses.

System · June 2004

Factory workers, outside on their breaks. Management folks as desired. You might not have an abuse problem, but I'll bet there's a morale problem.

lnelson · June 2004

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-16-04 AT 03:58PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Since the GM is sympathetic to other smokers, I would speak with him first and address the issue that ees are entitled to 2 breaks that should be sufficent time to have a smoke and the smoke breaks should be only during their normal break times.

ray a · June 2004

Smokers get the same number of breaks as non-smokers. Only concession we made was to build a shelter for smokers.

Whatever · June 2004

As per city laws, no smoking is allowed in the building. Smokers have the same break rules as non-smokers (once in the morning, once in the afternoon, both 10 minutes long). The "ranking" ees who smoke have no problem with the policy.

Don D · June 2004

Those employees at our business who get them have one scheduled 10 minute break every two hours. Employees who smoke must do so outside, during their scheduled break. The company built a nice 40 x 40 covered patio with ceiling fans and picnic tables that has come to be called 'the smoking patio'.

Rockie · June 2004

We don't have designated times for breaks. Employees just take a quick break when they need one, but supervisors may structure this as they see fit to ensure proper staffing in our practice. One department lost their "smoking privileges" through continued abuse. They were warned numerous times they could not leave enmasse and could not stay gone 15 minutes at a time. Finally, supervisor got fed up and did what she should have in the beginning...she cut out all outside breaks. Employees are allowed to break only in the breakroom...if they want to smoke, they have to wait for their lunch break.

Did they get angry? You bet! But, the funny thing is...the productivity level went way up in the department and we were able to cut staff through attrition. Go figure!

awilliams · June 2004

The July issue of Frontline Supervision (the publication for supervisors formerly known as Frontline) is about this very issue - how to manage employees who take excessive breaks, especially smokers. The issue is due to hit your mailboxes in about a week.

I agree with all the sage advice on this forum: managers should treat excessive breaking (whether related to smoking or not) as a performance problem and deal with it according to your policies. If you don't have a policy on break time ... there is no time like the present to implement one.

One particularly thorny issue that crops up is how to keep morale up when non-smoking employees feel that smokers get all the breaks (no pun intended). Your next issue of Frontline Supervision will include some tips on how to deal with the morale issue.

Anne Williams
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC

jake48 · June 2004

I think it's a mistake to focus only on smoke breaks, it's really an issue of whether or not employees are spending the right amount of productive time while at work. Those that take too many coffee breaks are just as nonproductive as those that take too many smoke breaks.

The difference is that now most of us require smokers to go to a designated area. This makes the smoker taking a break much more obvious that the two people standing by the bulletin board discussing how the Lakers looked like a junior high school team in the last three games.

It also depends on the type of workplace you have. A production environment usually has stict break times and the employees are generally nonexempt. Strictly enforced break times are no problem in this type of environment.

If you treat an office environment staffed by exempt employees like nonexempt employees (strict break times) you may find yourself with a FLSA issue.

Smoking Breaks

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