Do you allow your staff smoking breaks or are you allowed them? We heard this week about an employee who noticed that their colleague was taking a smoking break every hour and they complained. That could mean they are working an hour less every single day! It’s almost like they are being rewarded for smoking.
According to the Working Time Regulations Law (1998), employees and workers are entitled to a 20-minute rest break if they work more than 6 hours in the day. How they choose to spend that time is up to them but should they get more breaks just because they smoke ?
While the job of an arborist or forester is quite different to a that of an office worker, this still seems unfair. Another important point to consider is whether it’s acceptable to smoke on a customer’s land? Does quoting for a job smelling of tobacco give the image you want?
We allow smoking breaks, and it works very well. Our policy is – you can take as long as you like after work! 😉
What do you think is fair? How is this managed where you work?
