Employee Smoke Breaks: How Many Are Too Many and What Policies Work Best?

Dear Seniors,

I need your advice. I am facing a problem with the smoking habits of many of our employees.

How many cigarette breaks are too many in an eight-hour workday? I believe we need a smoke break policy to maintain productivity and possibly reduce healthcare costs. Does anyone have such a policy?

What unforeseen issues might arise if we enforce stricter regulations?

Regards,

Abraham

Many companies have employees who smoke, and many companies allow employees to take some sort of break or breaks during the workday. The question often arises whether employees who smoke must be given extra breaks. Some employers even wonder whether smoking is a protected disability that must be accommodated under the Act. The answer to both questions is "no".

Employers in the vast majority of situations do not have to give breaks during the day, so if a company does allow breaks, it can put whatever strings it wants to on those breaks. That includes limits on how long the breaks can be, how many breaks occur during the day, and where the breaks can or cannot be taken. Thus, if an employee is normally allowed two breaks per eight-hour shift, the employer can legally deny any extra breaks for smoking.

Regards,
Pankaj Chandan

Dear Pankaj,

Thanks, we have a smoking chamber in the office for our staff because many female staff also work. Therefore, to avoid health hazards to female employees, one separate room is allotted to gents for smokers because the majority of our staff is youth, smokers, and workaholics too. Due to their constant workaholic nature, they smoke a lot, and we find that it yields good results as these smoking breaks are helpful. Otherwise, they cannot concentrate on work.

But we are concerned about the frequency of smoking, which is why I am interested in restricting their smoking percentage.

Regards,
Abraham

Two official permitted smoke breaks are more than enough because employees can also smoke during lunchtime (before or after lunch). This means they are free to smoke 3 to 4 times during an 8-hour working shift. On average, smoking after two hours is not uncommon during an 8-hour workday. If you increase it to 6-8 times, then I am sure that nobody will concentrate on work, and you will have a disorganized gathering.

Regards

Pankaj Chandan

Abraham,

You sure are a 21st-century HR professional. If you feel the employees are productive, then obviously you should allow them to smoke since smoking increases their productivity level.

Then I feel that a smoking break of 10 minutes will not be a problem. But if you are ready to change your mindset about smoking, you can issue a strict policy that smoking is allowed only during official tea and lunch break times. A typical company has two tea breaks and one lunch break, so an employee during an 8-hour schedule can smoke many times. For example, here is the frequency chart for your information:

Before the start of the office: Two hours - Tea Break - Two hours - Lunch Break - After lunch for two hours - One tea break again - After two hours - End of office.

So, wherever I put the symbol "$$", that is the time when employees can smoke. In one day, an employee can smoke 5 times, and I think that anyone can hold their desire to smoke for at least two hours. :-P:-P:-P

Hope you understood my point, 21st-century HR.

Hi Ravi,

You provided a mechanical solution. However, there is no fixed time when employees have the instinct to smoke; it is with some kind of timetable based on the mood of the employee that determines when he will smoke. If we ask them to smoke at a particular time, they will wait until the time comes, and by then, their mood may have changed, which may not work to extract their efficiency. Although we do not encourage smoking, we also do not violate employees' fundamental right to smoke. We respect each employee, their dignity, as well as their self-respect. As 20th-century HR professionals, we don't treat employees as slaves but as human beings. This is our 21st-century HR practice.

Regards,
Abraham

Well, Abraham,

I understand your point when you say, "it's after all productivity we are looking at."

But don't you think the company is encouraging them to a bad habit? Smoking leads to cancer and heart diseases.

When I was thinking over your question, I realized that you wanted to reduce the smoking frequency and this should also not interrupt the work productivity. But let me tell you - when you try stopping a habit, all of a sudden, you are tempted to follow it much more aggressively even without your own control. I guess the message can be communicated by showing it as a concern by the management on employees' health condition. - Try sending frequent emails on health care and concern. Mainly on the negative sides of smoking. A little bit of relief of mind is what the smoker is looking at - but that is at the cost of risking one's own life.

- Why don't you have a refreshment zone that has more healthy fresh fruit juices and other good nutritious food (you may laugh at this - but this is because you are making the employees think that the company is really worried about the health and not the time that is spent in smoking).

- Again - you could have a Game Zone (a few companies have these, especially IT companies). In this, you can have games like carrom, chess, or something that can be accommodated internally (indoor games). I also suggest video games. Hope you don't laugh at these, but nothing can be more refreshing than an interesting game, and that relieves the stress much better.

Abraham... I don't know if you would agree, but many men out there are addicted to video games - just like being addicted to smoking.

When we try to make someone stop a habit, they unknowingly feel tempted to overindulge in that activity... but when you divert their attention to another interesting thing, they unknowingly give up the previous habit :-)

And if you have worries about them using the game zone, they can have one hour allotted to using that. And set a policy stating that - at least 7.5 (or 8 hrs) hrs of work are compulsory. - this 7.5 / 8 hrs does not accommodate time spent in lunch breaks/game zone/smoke zone.

I know I diverted... but we need some more thinking to make it look like an interesting activity compared to smoking. I guess... some more contribution from senior HRs should help.

Dear Ash,

I have organized many programs on quitting smoking in-house with outside experts. Some have succeeded in quitting, but they ultimately gained weight and became overweight. After quitting, they started eating more, especially indulging in chocolates, which caused them to become fat and bulky.

Now, everyone is afraid of quitting, and I have left this decision up to the individual. However, I do want to help reduce their smoking by controlling habits. These overweight staff members are a hindrance to my efforts.

Abraham

Hi Abraham,

Let them not quit immediately. They can just smoke one or two cigars a day to reduce the feeling of being tempted. This will gradually reduce. Imagine - if today you see a picture of an accident - a very bad accident and the injured person has no hopes of getting back to life, won't you think while driving/riding tonight and try being safe? The same goes for smoking - send images that show the ill effects of smoking, and if this is done frequently, they will have a fear within them that makes them reduce the intake.

(Still, we can try - let the fat staff don't bother you because now they are out of smoking, you will have to be ready for another session with them to help them reap benefits from exercising.) Chocolates are not a sure way to cope with that - but healthy, nutritious, and tasty food (and the availability of the same can help). Try the Game Zone. (It's worth a try - you have no clue on how successful this can become) :-D

Hi,

I totally agree with ASHA. For any bad thing, whether it's a habit, situation, etc., we often focus on the negative effects. However, it is time to consider the positive changes, benefits, etc., because everything has its good and bad aspects. So, why do we only think and divert in the easiest way to solve a problem?

In HR, you are responsible for managing living things, which is not as easy as handling non-living ones. So, everyone, just pause for a moment and think about the significant responsibility you carry on your shoulders. Instead of looking for shortcuts, find a way that serves your purpose while making employees feel great.

JUST THINK ABOUT THAT.

Hi Anoop Rana,

I am a smoker myself and also an HR Manager at a Manufacturing unit with 2 units under my supervision. We maintain a flexible policy regarding smoking and offer flexible timing. I have observed that everyone stays within limits, so I do not feel the need to impose any breaks or strict rules. Let employees smoke as needed, and their performance will be evaluated through the appraisal process.

It is essential to consider that employees sometimes work late hours based on the work requirements. Smoking can be a nicotine craving that needs to be satisfied; otherwise, it may lead to poor concentration at work.

Not everything can be governed by written rules and regulations; some aspects are based on conventions. We do not provide designated smoking areas or allow smoking inside the plant premises.

Let's maintain flexibility, as in HR, we deal with humans who are assets, not instruments. It is crucial to understand this distinction because the organizational culture we offer individual employees directly or indirectly impacts our retention strategy.

Please reflect on these points.

Thank you and regards,
Anoop Rana
Manager, HR

I am posting some posters showing the effects of smoking. Please take a printout and keep them in your office smoking chamber.

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Hi,

I feel that smoking is a personal matter for individuals and should not be linked to an employee's performance. Some of our friends here have commented that smoking increases productivity, etc.

As an organization that cares about its employees, we can introduce some awareness programs on anti-smoking. In our company, we successfully reduced the smoking rate through a contest. We have identified employees who smoke and classified them into three categories:

1. Pass time smokers - employees who smoke 1 or 2 cigarettes during office hours. Many employees, including women, fall into this category. They smoke for fun and are not addicted, usually smoking in groups.

2. Light smokers - employees who smoke around 2-5 cigarettes during office hours. Many young and senior employees are addicted to smoking.

3. Heavy smokers - employees who smoke more than 5 cigarettes during office hours, often seen among top management discussing critical issues.

Regarding the contest, we announced that employees who smoke less or do not smoke continuously for a month in each category will be awarded a cash prize, etc.

This contest has successfully converted almost all pass time smokers into non-smokers. There has been a significant change in the light smokers category as well. However, heavy smokers, who have been smoking for many years, show no significant change as they are not willing to quit or reduce smoking for any reason.

Using such tactics, we can bring about awareness and change among employees.

Regards,
Harsha

Dear Seniors,

I need your advice. I am facing a problem with the smoking habits of many employees.

How many cigarette breaks are too many in an eight-hour workday?

I believe we need a smoke break policy to maintain productivity and possibly reduce healthcare costs. Do any readers have such a policy?

What unforeseen issues might arise if we enforce stricter rules?

Regards,
Abraham

Hi,

I'll use a bit of psychology. The desire of a mind to smoke cannot be generalized with respect to parameters of time. We have several kinds of smokers depending on the respective intensity. Doing it on an organizational level would definitely be difficult.

Secondly, even if you frame a set of rules, making people stick to it is the next situation you would confront.

The smoking issue is, at best, controversial and, at worst, divisive. It is controversial because it pits one group with good intentions (good health, lower insurance costs, less absenteeism, etc.) against another - those who actually enjoy smoking and feel it is beneficial to their mental well-being.

Divisive because non-smokers see smoke breaks as additional time away from work. They view the smoke break as a non-productive waste of time and tend to resent it because they have no opportunity for similar "breaks".

One thing is certain; I don't think you can force employees to quit smoking. You can try, by means of an incentive - subsidize a quit smoking program or provide a discount on insurance premiums for non-smokers, or other means to convince employees to stop smoking.

But keep in mind what another poster said - those who quit tend to gain weight and become sluggish.

Consider setting up a "smoking room" where employees can smoke and work at the same time. It will eliminate complaints of "excessive breaks" since the smoker will be working guilt-free, thus being more productive. The room should have desks and telephones, at a minimum, perhaps even a beverage machine.

Furthermore, a few chairs and tables would complete and complement the room. It should be open to anyone who does not object to smoking or smoke (which should be exhausted out of the room by some means).

While the controversy over the benefits and drawbacks of smoking will continue, the knowledge that smokers are working rather than taking a "smoke break" should go far to end the divisiveness in the workplace.

Hi Ash Mathew, you write well.

Why are we encouraging a bad habit in the first place (and increasing medical costs, and losing good people in the long run)? By the way, please check the mediclaim forms of these employees - some of them may have ticked - not smoking!

In the West, companies are encouraging employees to quit smoking, &agrave; la Smoking Anonymous. Try yoga instead (it works). To counter a bad habit, encourage a good habit.

Also, don't you think giving smoking breaks is unfair to people who do not smoke and hence do not take these breaks? A break is time off, and that is how many people look at it. Can someone not work hard and not smoke?

I am against smoking and not against smokers. I feel for them as they are killing themselves. Many of them want to quit but cannot. So let us help them. More breaks are not a solution certainly.

Yes, you may increase the working hours for employees who smoke, in addition to reducing their health benefits.

I came across an ad on television some years back. It was about a substitute for cigarettes (Click or Clickz - not sure about the product name). It gives the same aroma as tobacco, is smokeless, and harmless.

Dear Friends,

I totally agree with the view of Ms. Asha. As an employer, there is a legislative requirement for you to provide a healthy and safe workplace for your employees. You have the right to designate your workplace as smoke-free. There is no legal requirement for you to provide smoke breaks. While you may be prepared to recognize the needs of a smoker, you also need to avoid the problem caused by an employee disappearing on a regular basis for a smoke break. Setting guidelines (morning, afternoon tea, and lunch breaks) makes it clear to staff about what is acceptable.

We should also raise awareness of the ill effects of smoking by placing regular articles on the notice board and sending emails. Additionally, we should indicate if professional advice for coping without cigarettes and quitting smoking is available and where to get help.

Hi,

You should share with them that their numerous breaks aren't fair to other members of their team who don't take as many breaks. Encourage the employees to commit to taking fewer breaks and have them start doing that immediately. This will let them know that it is a serious concern.

Regards,
Bhavyata
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