5 ms·
Given the amount of walking needed to get outside the building and the sedentary nature of their job, it's worth considering whether, on balance, the smokers at
by leroy_masochist 9y ago
Given the amount of walking needed to get outside the building and the sedentary nature of their job, it's worth considering whether, on balance, the smokers at this company are actually healthier and more productive than they would be if they kicked the habit.
- ideonexus 9y agoThis is the point I wanted to bring up. As a pack-a-day smoker for 10 years, I got up from my desk for 10 minutes every 1.5 hours to smoke a cigarette. Later, as a non-smoker, a health-conscious manager told me he wanted me to get up from my desk once an hour to take a five-minute walk around the building for my health. Regular breaks during the day are better for your health than vacation days; although, both are good for your health.
- davidcbc 9y agoRegular breaks during the day may be better for your health than vacation days, but I'm guessing that gain is offset when you use the break to smoke.
- peterburkimsher 9y agoI walk to the water cooler or toilet every 2 hours, and take a longer break to watch the sunset in the evening if the weather's suitable. Perhaps I drink a lot of water compared to most, but the last I heard was that medical advice is to drink more water.
- 0xFFFE 9y ago> the smokers at this company are actually healthier and more productive More productive perhaps, but healthier? I don't think so. EDIT: Typo.
- leroy_masochist 9y agoThey are engaging in consistent (roughly hourly) physical activity (significant amount of walking) in order to go smoke, while the non-smokers are not. The question here is not whether smoking is good for you, which it obviously isn't. It's whether, in this case, the benefit of being forced by addiction to get up and engage in light physical activity once per hour outweighs the carcinogenic effects of the tobacco consumed during smoke breaks.
- et2o 9y agoDefinitely not. Relatively minor health benefits from standing vs. drastic health consequences from smoking.
- jacobush 9y agoPositive?
- hdctambien 9y agoSitting is chairs has not been shown to cause cancer.
- jacobush 9y agoColon cancer?
- nsxwolf 9y agoI thought sitting was the new smoking.