Talking Point: Time to quit?
When the news broke this week that Breckland Council in Norfolk had introduced compulsory clocking in and out for smoking breaks, people up and down the country and in fact the globe felt compelled to air their comments - both good and bad - on news sites. However, this is not an exceptional case. Since the smoking ban was introduced in 2006 for Scotland and 2007 for Northern Ireland and England, the subject of the smoking break has sparked controversy.
Despite the positive impact the ban has created on the health of workers, the ban has created widespread debate on other issues connected with smoking in public places and workplaces, such as the financial impact the ban has had on businesses, particularly those in the leisure industries.
Of specific interest to employers is that of the smoking break. At Croner, we provide information and advice to thousands of businesses who, after receiving so much conflicting information in the media, are confused as to whether or not they should be offering smoking breaks.
In my opinion a move towards a total ban, or the implementation of a compulsory clocking in and out system is actually an unnecessary change that will inevitably lead to disgruntled employees and diminish an open, friendly working atmosphere.
The law regulates where employees can and can’t smoke. There is no legal requirement that extends to banning smoking breaks and we would advise businesses that there is no real benefit to doing this, particularly if any current arrangement works well.
Whether on a contractual or an informal basis, smoking breaks have been part of workplace culture for years. And in office-based jobs where breaks are normally handled informally, smokers typically treat smoking breaks as a way of refocusing after a period at the computer, just as non-smokers take regular breaks for coffee, personal phone calls or a snack.
At a time when many employees are stressed out by the current financial climate, moves by employers to ‘stub out’ smoking breaks during work time may actually compound the situation.
In a Croner survey of 2,103 people in 2007, only 24 per cent of smokers said they would cope well, or fairly well at the suggestion that smoking breaks were completely banned, while two thirds said they would not manage their stress very well or at all in such circumstances. And according to the research, around 16 per cent of a company’s workforce could suffer from stress from a blanket ban on smoking breaks, resulting in increased costs for the company.
There is no need for a knee-jerk reaction over smoking breaks. It may be better for the smooth running of the organisation to live and let live and deal with people who are taking too much time, whatever that may be for, on an individual basis. If you have someone who smokes two or three cigarettes and takes a fifteen minute break that is in excess of what the average worker is taking, we would advise having an informal, quiet word to avoid any conflict.
Andy Hague, executive director of Hinckley-based Croner
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