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
From Saudi Arabia
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1I 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
From Saudi Arabia
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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
From India, New delhi
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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
From India, New delhi
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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
From Saudi Arabia
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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
From Saudi Arabia
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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
From India, New delhi
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Regards
Pankaj Chandan
From India, New delhi
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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 "$$", that is the time when employees can smoke. In one day, an employee can smoke 5 times, and I think that anyone can hold their desire to smoke for at least two hours. :-P:-P:-P
Hope you understood my point, 21st-century HR.
From India, Pune
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You sure are a 21st-century HR professional. If you feel the employees are productive, then obviously you should allow them to smoke since smoking increases their productivity level.
Then I feel that a smoking break of 10 minutes will not be a problem. But if you are ready to change your mindset about smoking, you can issue a strict policy that smoking is allowed only during official tea and lunch break times. A typical company has two tea breaks and one lunch break, so an employee during an 8-hour schedule can smoke many times. For example, here is the frequency chart for your information:
Before the start of the office: Two hours - Tea Break - Two hours - Lunch Break - After lunch for two hours - One tea break again - After two hours - End of office.
So, wherever I put the symbol "$$", 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.
From India, Pune
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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
From Saudi Arabia
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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
From Saudi Arabia
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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.
From India, Madras
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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.
From India, Madras
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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
From Saudi Arabia
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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
From Saudi Arabia
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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
From India, Madras
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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
From India, Madras
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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.
From India, Delhi
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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.
From India, Delhi
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