Workers wonder about smoke breaks

Q: My supervisor recently got very angry when a few employees lined up at the time clock shortly before quitting time. She said we must keep working every minute until the end of our shift. However, her concern for productivity seems hypocritical, as she regularly wastes time taking smoke breaks.

Twice a day, our supervisor and department manager go outside and spend 15 minutes smoking and chatting. One of our co-workers occasionally joins them, and they never complain about his missing work. How can we protest this unfair company policy?

A: Smoke breaks have been a point of contention for years. Because non-smoking employees understandably resent others having free time to indulge a bad habit, many companies have eliminated this special privilege. In terms of policy change, therefore, the trend is in your favor.

At the moment, your group actually appears more upset about management than about smoking. But since complaining about your bosses could be unproductive and risky, focusing on the break policy is a smarter move. To increase your leverage, get some irritated non-smokers from other departments to join the cause.

Next, your group must decide where to take this complaint. Since personnel policies typically originate in human resources, the HR manager would seem to be the logical choice. Instead of bringing up time clock issues or supervisory unfairness, explain how smoke breaks reduce productivity and are resented by non-smokers.

Since your supervisor and her boss may not appreciate this attempt to revoke their smoking privileges, ask the HR manager to keep identities confidential. And don’t expect immediate results. Policy changes seldom happen overnight, but at least you will have started the conversation.