Smokers Are Just As Bad As Colleagues With Kids When It Comes To Mooching Time Out Of The Office
Working parents aren’t the only annoying colleagues sucking time off out from under your nose. Smokers get more time away from the office, too. They just do it in sneaky little increments every day so no one notices.
Smokers who nip out of the office for fag breaks work a whole week less than their non-smoking colleagues each year, research shows.
Every day smokers spend an average of 45 minutes away from their work, which adds up to nearly four hours per week.
Over a year this amounts to smokers working seven fewer days than their colleagues who do not smoke, according to a study for Voucher Codes Pro.
I can’t find the actual “study” and the Daily Mail never provides any links to anything. But I bring up the article to bring up a few points; no one is a perfect employee, no one is a perfect employer, and it is up to all of us individually to set our own boundaries and not allow others to step over them.
Every time I hear a complaint about moms or dads who aren’t expected to do overtime or work on holidays, I always want to ask the person complaining why they don’t demand some time off, too? Same goes for every time I hear someone complain about a smoking co-worker. Why don’t you step outside for some fresh air? If your place of work allows you to step outside for a cigarette, I can’t imagine they won’t let you step outside to stretch your legs.
In the “Hierarchy of Annoying” that exists at the workplace, I guess it would go like this – from least annoying to most annoying:
Colleagues who can’t say no, ever.
These people have never been taught boundaries so they will let themselves be unapologetically walked all over and you can’t help but love them because they will always cover for you.
Workers who have a regular appointment that they “can’t miss” i.e. trainer, yoga, manicure – whatever. You secretly admire these people for having boundaries but they also annoy you because you don’t.
Workers who smoke. As the “study” says, they get more time out of the office than non-smokers.
Parents.
They inevitably have sick children, recitals and soccer games and always have an excuse to not cover for you.
Parents who smoke.
Worst of both worlds. Time out of the office, and they always have an excuse to not cover for you.
See – everyone is annoying, except for the people who can’t say ‘no.’ If you don’t fall into one of the last four categories, I suggest you start making stuff up so you can get some breaks, too.
(photo: PH Studio/ Shutterstock)
