apparently you spend one whole year of your life working/surfing the web/posting on here than I do, while I get to while away my time like a social leper, stood in a rainy smelly bus shelter, coughing loudly.

The fact that this could be coming to an end is an absolute outrage!!! I demand my human rights be respected to shorten my natural lifespan as much as I wish

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315651/Council-forces-smoking-staff-clock-puff-work-non-smokers.html

about time too IMO

damn straight, extra breaks for smokers is absurd

I cannot believe this story ….a council that has not just banned smoking

Nothing wrong there.

So you non-smokers never take “smoking” breaks?
I’m a non smoker and I do as I find a 5 minute break here and there is great. 🙂

Completely agree with this, about time.

Unless they brought in a rule that non smokers could take a break everytime a smoker went for a drag.

I quite fancy having numerous 5 min breaks in my working day 8)

Damn right, slackers

Let’s say a smoker has 5 cigarettes during their working day, plus another at lunch that I won’t count.
Say an average of 5 minutes per cigarette, that’s 25 minutes a day – over 2 hours per week – for which they’re getting paid for doing nothing

Ok, so maybe the non-smokers take a couple of minutes to make a brew – but so do the smokers, so that evens out.

Alternatively, they should let the non-smokers go home earlier or come in later than the smokers. Or better still, pay them more pro-rata

Filthy habit

Yours, an ex-smoker for the last 13 years

its kind of ironic that we are arguing about smokers not getting paid for the time they smoke when we all spend most of our days on here not working 😀

organic355 – that was kind of my point 😀

False story. Do any of those council workers actually do any real work?

On the one hand, I’ve worked places where people were always nipping out for a fag, and it grated as the bosses were slavedrivers, so a few fag breaks was a real benefit.

On the other hand, I reckon everyone would be more productive if they were forced to take a 5 minute break every so often…

As someone who prefers to get things done quickly, I know I’m more productive if I go for a 5 minute break whenever I feel like I’ve had enough. Same principle as lecturers kicking you out in the middle of two hour lectures – you’re not that useful if you never have a breather.

Bit silly imo.
Most white collar workers already work above and beyond their contracted hours anyway, in this country.
How many hours are wasted in watercooler discussions, in the kitchen, discussions about the football and the tv blah blah blah.

It’s just about appeasing the non smokers, who spend 25 minutes a day whining about the smokers wasting time.

Used to work for a company that let it’s workers take what it called ‘fabs’- fresh air breaks’.

Non smoker, btw.

tyranny of the majority

🙄

Do any of those council workers actually do any real work?

Hora do you do any real work?

(Back in a bit, just nipping out for a ciggie)

Elfinsafety – you’re so cynical. Recruitment consultants are renowned for their selfless dedication to society and endless personal sacrifice for the greater good of the country. They’re like the fifth emergency service

Right. I need a fag now. Might make a coffee on the way back in

Was on the news in Scotland recently NHS are going to pay people to give up. Sounds workable to me ! I’ll take up smoking again for £400.

I get my own back on the smokers by taking 25 minutes to curl one out 😆

Elfinsafety – you’re so cynical. Recruitment consultants are renowned for their selfless dedication to society and endless personal sacrifice for the greater good of the country. They’re like the fifth emergency service

+1. Cheap suit and aftershave shops would close down if it wasn’t for our selfless actions.

I’d take up smoking again but I was sick of running out of fags just before bedtime. Always ended up treking out in the cold looking for somewhere sodding open 😆

Votchy; I’d see a doctor about that if I were you. S’not good to strain your ring like that. 🙁

Hora do you live in Huddersfield? I might be coming up that way soon, I’m going to come and give you a Chinese Burn. And blow ciggie smoke in your face.

I come from Huddersfield. All the greats come from Huddersfield, Last of the Summer Wine, Roy Hardcastle and erm hum.

Binners comes from Warrington famous for its McDonalds bin being blown up 😆

The lure of running water and electricity brought him to Manchester. I wish he’d go home

Possibly as a way of trying to encourage people stopping smoking this would work. But I have 5 minute breaks all the time ie now !

This has nothing to do with banning smoking, but is all about stopping a smoker taking the pxxs out of their non-smoking colleagues by sloping off numerous times throughout the day, disrupting everyone’s work!

It’s about each member of a team making an equal contribution and being available to enable work to progress.

In my book, this is the same as turning up late for your shift.

I worked in an office where several of the team spent at least an hour a day outside having a puff. This caused a lot of problems for the project I was responsible for. After a series of easily avoidable delays I mentioned this to one of them, but I was met with a rather caustic response. Then followed a weak and irrational argument that smokers continue to work when they are outside (yeah right!). He then went on to describe what a bigot is. I just smiled as the guy knew his argument held no water and I really had nothing to add. The arrogance of his response was clear to all and he showed his true colours. This reaffirmed my beilief that drug takers of any kind are irrational selfish beings who will do anything to justify their habit!

So, yes, docking pay for people who go absent throughout the day is reasonable. Perhaps even too reasonable, because, in my opinion, this doesn’t solve the problem of smokers being absent and therefore preventing the rest of the team functioning efficiently.

In my next role, I pray that I won’t have too many smokers to accommodate!

apparently you spend one whole year of your life working/surfing the web/posting on here than I do

Yep, but we’ll also live longer and so will have more time to do more productive things. We will also usually have more money to enjoy our retirement with as we won’t have wasted it all on fags.

But seriously, why does anybody still smoke in this day and age? It costs you money, makes you stink and kills you. I honestly don’t get why somebody would want to even contemplate smoking.

Who TF is Roy Hardcastle?

A mate of mine lives in Hudd. I might send him round to duff you up. He’s from Bradford originally, so proper nasty.

I’ll ignore your insensitive comment about Warrington…

Binners are you really from Warrington? Never mind. 🙁

There’s a ‘no-kissing zone’ at Bank Quay station. Mind you, it’s hardly the most romantic destination on Earth…

is Roy Hardcsatle that n-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen bloke or is he the record breakers chap ?

Elf – why do you think i moved out of there as soon as i hit adulthood. Along with all my mates and anyone else with half a brain? Its an absolute ****-hole populated entirely by neanderthals

is Roy Hardcsatle that n-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen bloke or is he the record breakers chap ?

nah – he had an emu or something

I don’t like to slag places off, but Warrington isn’t my favourite town, I have to say.

A mate of mine is from Warrington. He said he ‘will never live there again’. Goes a bit quiet whenever you mention it to him. 🙁

It’s got a TJ Hughes though; it’s a sort of museum of how life was 30 years ago in the rest of the country. A glimpse into the past of high street retailing.

I did wonder what TJH was. There’s one in Bratfud where Sunwin House used to be

Never been in though

There is, there is, it’s on Sunbridge road near where me mate lives.

On Google streetview, he can be seen walking past it.

hora – Member
Binners comes from Warrington famous for its McDonalds bin being blown up

Possibly the least funny thing I’ve seen posted on here.

Warrington is just a cleaner, newer, version of many north western towns, that’s about it. Wouldn’t live there, I live close enough to be able to cycle//drive there, do any shopping I need, get depressed, and then leave – state of mind recovers.

Warrington might also be famous for the discovery of oxygen by Joseph Priestly.

Oops http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Castle

I came to Manchester as suburbia 8)

Binners came to Manchester as they had a bigger bomb 😆

good shout. Roy Castle died from lung cancer, did he not?
said it was from passive smoking in the clubs he used to play in…

I have 5 min work breaks from STW.
I find if I spend too much time on here I get bored.
Sometimes instead of using that 5 mins to work, I check my hotmail/ go on bbc website / do a bit of online shopping.

Don’t honestly see how I could fit ciggy breaks into my busy schedule.

Del, yes. In the early years when he played the circuit before making it in TV. I remember him on TV as a kid and his final roadshow (stopped in Hudds at the train station!) to promote awareness of cancer etc 🙁

Smoking is mental. Its such a powerful drug that pushes you into denial to allow you mentally to carry on abusing your lungs/body. Even now 11yrs on I get cravings at points when Im low. ‘Go on, just this one it’ll help’. Madness.

hels – Member
Was on the news in Scotland recently NHS are going to pay people to give up. Sounds workable to me ! I’ll take up smoking again for £400.

I think that it was only available in Dundee though.

No amount of money would have me living in Dundee.

Today is 6 months and 26 days without a cigarette for me. Every so often I still crave one, but the feeling soon passes. To be honest, it’s just that 3 or 4 second nicotine hit that I crave, nothing else.

How can you pay someone to stop smoking without them LYING?

They have to be regularly tested for carbon-monoxide levels otherwise they don’t get their vouchers.