Does your smoking colleague work fewer hours than you?
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT FOR MEN SMOKE-BREAKS AMOUNT TO OVER NINE DAYS PER YEAR
Are employees who smoke working fewer hours than nonsmokers? Many researchers across the globe say, yes.
A 2005 study done in Taiwan found that the time men and women spent taking smokebreaks amounted to nine days and six days per year respectively. This resulted in reduced output and causing productivity losses of $733 million (Dh2.6 billion).
In 2017, a Japanese marketing firm, Piala, started awarding non-smokers with six extra vacation days. The added time was meant to compensate non-smokers for the 15-minute breaks that smoking employees took throughout the year.
Smokers disagree
However, Dubai-based Filipina Karen An De Guzman feels this is an exaggeration: “I believe there is a general rule on office breaks. Everyone is entitled to 15 minutes of break after a four-and-ahalf-hour work period. People unnecessarily tend to compare smokers as time-wasters, especially at work.”
Anthony Anupam Augustine, who is the head of productions in a UAE-based radio station, feels it is “completely false” to say that smokers work fewer hours.
He added: “Regardless of whether you smoke or not, if you are unproductive and inefficient at your workplace, you will probably get fired.”
However, Romanian expat Olga Buciuceanu, a client relations officer in Dubai, feels smokers tend to work less time and it is unfair: “As a non-smoking employee who often doesn’t get to take a full break I feel it’s not fair to us. And not to forget the unpleasant smell.”
Anthony Anupam Augustine added: “I work in the creative field and I think we need breaks to refresh our minds and come up with ideas. Just because someone takes a higher number of breaks doesn’t mean they are longer breaks or time wasted. As long as a person manages his time and work well and gets the job done, he is an asset to the company.”
Filipina expat Des Devierte, a smoker, said: “We usually include smoke breaks in the break timings given by the company. We eat fast and manage the time to smoke, responsible employees don’t take much time, even if they are smokers.”
Talking about how it affects productivity, she added: “I’m not sure about the survey, but usually smokers tend to work actively after smoke breaks due to the adrenaline rush from the nicotine.”
Jordanian expat Jamal Suwais, a reformed smoker, has a different point of view: “I used to smoke within the time that was allotted for my regular break. However, sometimes smoke breaks would take slightly longer, especially if I had company. Thankfully, my boss was flexible about my breaks and I used to ensure I finish work before I leave for the day. All my deadlines were always met.”
Suwais, a retail purchase manager, doesn’t smoke anymore: “I quit smoking and I turned to a healthy lifestyle. I feel like I have more energy now and my work is done on time. I don’t need to stay a minute beyond my work schedule.”