Smoking

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Short Story: There once was this morally superior little fellow that didn't drink or smoke ( thought it gave him some advantage ) by the name of Adolph that tried to overwhelm the fat, cigar smoking , whiskey drinking old Winston. The rest is history, WWII.

By the way all the allied leaders were smokers. Who will fight the fascist now?
 
growler said:
The rest is history, WWII.

By the way all the allied leaders were smokers. Who will fight the fascist now?
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The healthier non smokers and it wouldn't have taken them as long. :D ;)

Roger
 
ryan_618 said:
I am a pack and a half a day smoker. I smoke a cigaretter in about 4 minutes.

I can guarantee that each one of you screws around for at least 20 minutes per day (the time it would take me to smoke 5 cigarettes). I personally don't see the issue.
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Same here. I have been known to smoke up to 3 packs. Then again I drink atleast 4 monsters a day, so I usually run around like a mad man a bit. I make up for my smoking habit, with my energy drink habit. LMAO

iwire said:
Pack and half a day.

30 cigarettes

16 hours awake each day

or about 2 smokes per hour

Walk to smoking area 1 minute

Smoke 4 minutes.

Return from smoking area and become productive 2 minutes.

7 minutes lost each half hour.

But lets call it 'only' 5 minutes, thats 80 minutes a day lost time.
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Yes the numbers add up but that would be if they were averaged out through out the day. If I'm working somewhere that smoking is prohibited, I don't. Towards the end of a job when smoking is prohibited inside the building, I will smoke only on break unless I am majorly stressed over something. I feel as Ryan, I may smoke but I make up for it in other ways. I'm not a big talker. Rarely will you catch me chatting with someone. I have seen guys talk for 45 minutes.
 
This topic is one I feel strongly about in many different ways, too many ways to go into, really.

Some folks here think I am a pretty smart guy - those folks are going to be staring at their monitors, slack-jawed in disbelief when I share this little revelation: I started smoking at age 18 to get a break. To date, it is about the stupidest reason I have yet come across for someone to start smoking.

Back in high school, my first job was Wendy's. Being upward-bound, I decided to go through the management training when I graduated. Hourly employees got their scheduled breaks as required by law, but managers really couldn't take a break at the time. The smokers could wander out back and grab a cigarette, but if you didn't smoke you didn't have a reason to stand around out back.

After about a month of managing, I started smoking. It was fairly harmless at first, but now I smoke a pack a day.

As much as I resent having certain liberties stripped from me (Colorado recently adopted a statewide smoking ban, I think it's illegal to smoke within 20' of any public door, or something like that), I also recognize that I would benefit greatly by quitting.

As far as smoking in the field goes, if I am permitted to smoke while working, I do. Once drywall is up and the air isn't flowing as freely, I stop smoking indoors. I quietly worry when guys light up after paint - just because I don't smoke inside doesn't mean I leave them in the car, and the last thing I want is to be blamed for the smell when I didn't contribute to it.

I now work for a company that does schools and hospitals, and when push comes to shove I comply with the rules - I am smart enough to know that my job is more valuable than a cigarette. I find it a little ironic that I can't smoke inside a porta-potty on school grounds, when all sorts of other foul activities are encouraged there, but irony does not undo a rule.

I have lost one friend and one aunt to smoking, and my wife doesn't smoke. Every once in a while, I have a pain taking a breath. Heck, I have a chronic sinus infection that probably would go away if I were to quit. I have plenty of reasons to quit, just no willpower. I look forward to the day. FWIW, I nearly quit when working at the school, so a non-smoking jobsite might just be the kick in the pants several folks need.

Please do not quote this post and respond, I'm just sharing a viewpoint.
 
If there were a lot more heavy smokers it would contribute to solving the Social Security deficit. Greater longevity is the biggest factor in that problem. It would also help Medicare (but to a lesser extent) because people with lung cancer don't live long and fatal heart attacks average lower cost to the economy than Alzheimer's disease.

Smoking and the lottery have some similar characteristics. People who buy tickets and people who smoke contribute more so I have to pay less.
 
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I too am at about a pack and a half.... I keep telling people that when the wife gets knocked up I have to quit. The immediate replies are "Please give some warning..." And I am also a 64oz coffee drinker, and strictly buisiness, a bit intense, and a slam dance artist. I used to run a crew of 12, barking orders and teething on an unlit smoke, and intermediatley swilling coffee. I would only smoke at my office (the side door of the van) which doubles as a plan table. And the back door of the office, (my van again) which doulbles as a work bench. Work got done, while at the van...

Now I sort of work by myself, and occssionaly head out to the van to grab some mat's, or to look something up on the computer... Slip in a smoke... Stuff still gets done...

But if I had to have somebody take my little pacifiers away I would be either institutionable, or disfunctional...

I need to quit! But I feel for anyone near me at the time.... It's gonna be rough....

Back to OP.... Does this customer monitor bath-room breaks too? If he's taking notes, thats next! He'll be sitting there with a stop-watch timing someone taking a dump.

Bob NH if you think "Sin Taxes" are saving you anything, you are mistaken. The cost of a pack of smokes ~1$ +300%-500% tax rates. Not much different with booze in most states. And each lottery, all money going to fund your state. The Feds tax not of those items, so it's not doing anything for social security - If people all of the sudden quit smokin' drinkin' and playing lotto, your property taxes would shoot throught the roof.

FYI Im trying to quit.....
 
I work for a large company (the same one as Iwire.) When you use his numbers and multiply it by dozens of employees, that adds up to a huge amount of lost time and money per year.
 
I work for a company with about 60 men in the field. I see more time wasted with other things like horseplay, cell phones, chatting, bathroom breaks, people showing up late, plain slow people with no ambition.... to be singled out as a smoker for profit loss on a yearly basis .... that would be a case by case scenerio IMHO. 3/4 of our apprentices dont make it through the company for their journeyman's. I think it should be judged upon performance, as most things. If a guy is punching out his work, let him smoke.

On the other hand, if you are in a facility where smoking is prohibited, no smoking, bottom line.
 
All my employees have company cell phones and pagers, we have asked them not to carry personal cell phones and I pay for their service. That way I\we (actually my partner) can monitor calls, if their off hours call exceed a limit we bill them for the overage, if their on hour calls are high and we do not reconize the number, we have a talk.


I had a talk with the smokers and they swear they only go outside when they need a trip to the truck, let me see first I'll get the amp clamp, next trip the multi-meter, then the....

Chatter and BS'ing are a prevelant as smoking I sure, but no one gets 8 for 8, 5 days a week. I have had one complaint about BS'ing in 22 years, I have had several about smoking. Fact is: Smoking is expensive, dirty, dangerous from fires, bad for you, possibly bad for others around you and in todays market looked down upon as a disgusting habit. Sooner or later a non smoker will die of lung cancer and his family will sue his employeer for wrongful death from smokers.

E:

I recently had a massive heart attack (my words not the doctors medeical term), I am very healthy (OK was), have worked out all my adult life, non smoker, non drinker, perfect LDL and HDL, perfect blood pressure, vergetarian most my life. What happened, bad genes and stress and the doctor said the stress and long hours was a major contributor.

The fact is while I love my job I have tried to relieve the stress some ( I now have 2 assisants) and TRY not to let the little things bother me. Like Smoking, OH YEAH
 
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Brian John

It appears to me that you are a wonderful boss. The things that you offer your employees are the exception not the rule. I would hope that your employees see this and respect your wishes. Of course, the urge to smoke is a difficult struggle for the smoker and it does waste some time. I am sure you have done all you could to help them. It is their turn to help you and respect your needs. If you tell them they need to be more discreet about the smoking then they need to do it.

A plumber friend of mine has about 20 employees and some are slackers. He knows this but he says the bottom line is he is making money, the business is growing and he keeps getting call backs. He tries to put the slackers on jobs were that isn't a big issue. Contract jobs cost you not the owner so maybe putting the smokers on the contract jobs not the T&M jobs. If they are still making you money then there is no damage done. Meanwhile keep doing what you are doing, I would be happy to have a boss as tolerant and concerned as you. I wish I were more like that.
 
kspifldorf said:
Wow this is get is getting interesting. Be right back, I need a Smoke.
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I used to have several smokers on the payroll. The issue of smoke breaks can and does come up when doing a T&M job, and the customer is there watching the activity.

I've had to reduce the labor hours billed on more than one occasion when confronted with complaints from the owners about the number and duration of observed smoke breaks. This cuts into the bottom line, pure and simple.

My policy now is non-smoking help only. My vans don't get stunk up, and there is no longer any issue about cigarette butts flung all over the place, or unauthorized breaks, etc.
 
It seems that some (most)of the smokers have the mentality that either: 1. other people waste money in other ways, so I can by smoking, and 2. I work faster than most people even when I take smoke breaks all day long.

Sure, we all know that there are idle talkers, and slow walkers (to get material), cell phone use, and many other ways to waste money, but lets take a look at this one issue...smoking. First, it is against OSHA rules to smoke inside on a construction site. (enacted to guard against fires I think). It is also against OSHA (or at least MOSHA) rules to smoke in work vehicles where you are alone or not. Second, as a business owner, I see it as stealing. No different that taking tools or material. You have an agreement to work for X amount of dollars per hour. And by taking 30 or 40 min a day in extra breaks is not abiding by your agreement. "Smoke breaks" account for a substantial amount of time, which could add up to thousands of dollars a year per employee. Third, if you claim that you can work circles around everyone else even with your breaks, without your breaks you would be even better. It is sad that you believe that it is ok to give only 80% effort when you you are getting paid for 100%. You can make excuses and justifications for it all day long, but along with all of the other time (money) wasters, it is just wrong. And lastly, if you can look at the big picture, what ever can be done to make te company more money, allow the company to increase your pay and benefits. But, perhaps you don't really want that, now do you?

As a side note, my employees are not allowed to smoke during working hours because of lost $, the perception of costing the client money, and that fact that it stinks, and my clients don't need that in their builings and homes.


Rich
 
This whole thread is the biggest crock of bull I have ever read.A happy worker is the best worker.If they smoke do you think that by telling them they can`t smoke on your job or in your truck that you will get the best that they can do from hour to hour ??? I have a big problem with personal cell phones that guys bring on the job.When that phone rings they stop what they are doing and just talk.But when they want a smoke as long as they can do it as they work they keep right on working.
 
Just a heads up.

This is a primely an electrical contracting forum.

Lets try to limit this conversation to how employee smoking is affecting electrical contractors. :)
 
A happy worker is the best worker.If they smoke do you think that by telling them they can`t smoke on your job or in your truck that you will get the best that they can do from hour to hour ???
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And what about me, the unhappy co-worker breathing secondhand smoke? If I was forced to work in an area where my co-workers smoked, I would file a safety complaint demanding that my employeer provides me with a safe working enviroment.
Don
 
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