You want a break? Pay for it!

[Francko]

Joe in "small minds tend to think small thoughts" mode.

Does size really matter then?

[janey]

Does size really matter then?

YES... but also what you do with it

[sasguru]

While we're with the cliches/stereotypes I'd like to suggest that people who think workers should do nothing but sit in front of their screen all day, no doubt with a set of headphones on, probably shouldn't be running a business in the first place, and ipso facto are incapable of thinking 'outside the box' and bring about any sort of innovation.

I smoke, sometimes to much to my regret perhaps, but heck, the number of times I've worked for a company where everyone was sitting round staring a problem in the face until their eyes hurt, and I've gone outside for 5 minutes and had a fag, come back with a solution where I get asked the perenial question "how did you come up with that"...geez it ain't rocket science.

Joe in "small minds tend to think small thoughts" mode.

It's always amusing how smokers justify their addiction. I know, I used to do it myself. And yes, I did think of quite a few solutions on my fag breaks. Now I just look away from the screen for a couple of minutes (or post tulipe on here) and the same insights seem to occur.

[Francko]

It's always amusing how smokers justify their addiction. I know, I used to do it myself. And yes, I did think of quite a few solutions on my fag breaks. Now I just look away from the screen for a couple of minutes (or post tulipe on here) and the same insights seem to occur.

You have a small "mind" too?

[Joe Black]

YES... but also what you do with it

...someone who understands at last.

"It's always amusing how smokers justify their addiction. I know, I used to do it myself. And yes, I did think of quite a few solutions on my fag breaks. Now I just look away from the screen for a couple of minutes (or post tulipe on here) and the same insights seem to occur."

Was hardly justifying any addiction sassy, was just point out the obvious, that people sitting at their desk all day aren't always the best to come up with an imaginative idea.

As for just looking away from the screen for a few minutes, I'd hardly compare that with looking up at the sky/clouds/birds, or perhaps some 'birds' walking by as a source of inspiration...seems like you have a parochial village mentality to me sassy, where the world doesn't exist beyond your cubicle...

[sasguru]

...someone who understands at last.

"It's always amusing how smokers justify their addiction. I know, I used to do it myself. And yes, I did think of quite a few solutions on my fag breaks. Now I just look away from the screen for a couple of minutes (or post tulipe on here) and the same insights seem to occur."

Was hardly justifying any addiction sassy, was just point out the obvious, that people sitting at their desk all day aren't always the best to come up with an imaginative idea.

As for just looking away from the screen for a few minutes, I'd hardly compare that with looking up at the sky/clouds/birds, or perhaps some 'birds' walking by as a source of inspiration...seems like you have a parochial village mentality to me sassy, where the world doesn't exist beyond your cubicle...

What I was trying to say is that it's not the cigarette that gives you the inspiration. Don't see how that gives me a "parochial village mentality"?

[vista]

Ex-Smokers

As it happens I admire ex-smokers for beating an addiction, but some are a bit too gobby about it so I wouldn't let them know that.

Are only gobby about it because it provides reassurance that they have done the right thing, it helps them stay on the straight and narrow.

As usual the anti-smoking mob are the usual suspects who like nothing more than telling other people what to do, what that is doesn't really matter smoking today, saving the planet tomorrow etc.

There is absolutely nothing to stop non-smokers popping outside for some fresh air as regularly as smokers if they want to.

People may be smoking outside but that does not mean they are not working, there was a time when you could smoke in meeting rooms so work continued whilst you smoked why do people assume its always a break? When I smoked I would frequently have meetings with people outside so we could smoke and work, I would take docs to read outside so I could smoke and continue working.

If a company employs someone they employ to sum total of that person and smoking may be a piece of baggage that comes with them that's very obvious whereas those that concern themselves with others behaviour are carrying another far more insidious those just as obvious piece of baggage that will ultimately do far more damage to your company than all the smokers in the world, they're not blameless after all they're spending too much time bitching about other people when they should be working.

[threaded]

I used to find that a walk around the building or 10 mins staring out of the window helped enormously when stuck on some obscure problem... oddly management never seem to appreciate this.

Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.

[Denny]

I think this is a hideous idea and just one more step to disregarding workers as human beings. Plus, there is no logic to it at all. Human beings are what make up the workforce and human beings need to drink, refresh themselves and relieve themselves. To penalise them financially for doing these things has got to be a breach of human rights. Perhaps not with smoking though...nevertheless....

I smoke and do take the odd break morning and afternoon when I'm on site, but normally that's spent thinking about my job or having an informal business meeting on the doorstep with another colleague. I used to work with one colleague years ago, who also smoked, and I would suggest to him 'fancy a power fag?' We would then go outside and discuss work, not skive. Nicotine also helps me concentrate better on my work once I get back. What I never do, though, is surf the web during office hours or engage in forum discussions, like some do. The most I ever do is quickly check my home e-mails during lunchbreak (if there is one). Surely web surfing and going on forums during office hours is truly non-productive and should be treated the same way, if smokers too are going to be penalised? Yet, because they're wasting time at their desk rather than out on a doorstep they probably would be treated differently as this idea is related to desk absences.

As for withholding wages for toilet breaks. That is truly ridiculous and actually sexist too. Women have far more reason to visit the toilet and spend longer doing it for obvious reasons particularly at one time of the month. Men don't wear makeup and not expected to look attractive during office hours, only presentable and professional. Women need to re-apply make up and comb their hair more often because of its length and to just fit in with their other female co-workers. Plus their anatomy makes going for a pee a more drawn out process than it does for a man.

The whole idea is ludicrous - one step nearer for mankind being turned into Stepford dummies.

Resist comrades and fight for your rights.

[BobTheCrate]

Whenever I heard a complaint about cigarette breaks, it came from somebody who spent a lot of time chatting, particularly the women, who can spend a good 10 minutes discussing the previous evening's soaps, whereas to discuss work issues while having a smoke is deemed a work break. I also noticed that the moaners produced very little suggesting that the moaning was done to smoke screen their own inadequacies.

Rock on Pinto.