When it comes to office life, everybody knows that a team effort is needed to create a productive work place. Everybody in the company needs to be focused and passionate to maximise output and profits. One faulty link can act as a domino effect for the rest of the team. So when it comes to smoking, smoke breaks and the effect these have on the workplace, you won’t be surprised to learn that they not only have a negative impact on health, but also on morale, profits and time efficiency. Below are just some of the problems which both smokers and those working with smokers may face in the work place, and how these can be combatted.
Time efficiency
It’s true that a quick ten minute cigarette break won’t take out a massive chunk of your day. On average a cigarette will take about five minutes to smoke, add another five on your entrance and exit from the building and you’ll be looking at about ten minutes per break. Now imagine a heavy smoker, one who has a cigarette an hour and add up those breaks in the average 9 to 5 work day. That’s 10 minutes per hour, amassing to a whopping 90 minutes spent smoking a day! That’s an hour and a half of your work day spent taking breaks which takes your average work day down to 7 and a half hours.
Effects on non-smokers
Now think of the effects of this on your non-smoking colleagues. If you’re a non-smoker whose colleagues continuously leave to go for cigarettes, then you won’t be able to help getting at least a little resentful. The idea of your colleagues getting more of a work break than you is by all accounts unfair and this tension in the office will create growing relationship problems down the line. Most people will try to avoid office politics on such matters, but it’s often unavoidable.
What’s more, non-smokers may feel like they’re missing out, the relationships formed during the cigarette break can make the non-smokers in the office feel somewhat alienated. As mentioned above, these problems may seem small at first but like the effects of smoking on the health, will grow and grow as time goes by.
Concentration
The concentration of smokers can be significantly impacted by the habit. If you’re addicted and are craving a cigarette, this can affect your mood and therefore your performance in meetings or at your work. Your concentration will be dented and therefore your efficiency at work will be damaged.
Profits
Over 3 billion a year is lost on smoking breaks in the UK alone. This may sound like a staggering number but when you think about the hours out of the work day per smoker this takes out and the amount of cigarette butts which are picked up by cleaners then it makes more sense. Many bosses now record their employee’s breaks whilst others take it out of their wages. Although this may sound strict, it is fairer on the long run on those who don’t partake in the habit.
Maintenance
As mentioned above, the maintenance of smokers requires companies to hold smoking facilities as well as cleaners whose time is taken up clearing cigarette ends. This takes time and money out of a company or a land owner and can lead to resentment about smokers, who could be deemed a drain on resources.
The rise of the e-cigarette
So what can be done about such a problem? The answer could be in e-cigarettes such as Smok Vapes. These companies supply e-cigarettes which are both less unhealthy and can be smoked inside without the dangers of second hand smoke or setting off fire alarms. Many office smokers are turning to vapes for this very reason and they may very well be the future of smoking itself.