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Related to this, a lot of the reason smokers around me smoke is to just go outside. It’s an excuse to hang out on the porch. You might think that such a societa

Related to this, a lot of the reason smokers around me smoke is to just go outside. It’s an excuse to hang out on the porch. You might think that such a societal excuse isn’t needed, but it’s a powerful force.

simondotau 5y ago
I've never smoked, but in my cubicle days I often tag along with a colleague who did smoke. They'd have a puff, I'd get coffee, and we'd hang out and chat for five or ten minutes outside.
- buu700 5y ago
  I always did the same thing. It'd be nicer if we could build a social convention of drink breaks instead of smoke breaks, which could sort of bootstrap off of smoke breaks in the way you described. At first a few people in any given circle would be drinking instead of smoking, and then over time, as more people opt for coffee/tea/water over cigarettes, it gradually becomes normalized to take breaks without having anyone smoke.
  - simondotau 5y ago
    That pretty much did happen in our case, there was only one smoker in our group and we'd have coffee breaks even if he wasn't around that day.
SilverRed 5y ago
This is why I love working from home. I'll go outside whenever I want and no one will know or try to stop me. As long as stuff keeps getting done, no one cares. Sometimes I just need 10 mins to prune some bonsai trees to feel refreshed enough to continue for the day.
wccrawford 5y ago
I worked at a few places that allowed smokers extra breaks because of their "need". When others asked for the same breaks, they were denied them. It didn't really go over well, but nobody cared enough to really fight it publicly. I suspect the morale problem it caused cost a lot more than those short breaks would have.
grillvogel 5y ago
the random networking is one thing i miss about not smoking anymore. you get to socialize with tons of people/coworkers you wouldnt normally talk to, you all start out with a shared interest and everyones in a good mood.

simondotau 5y ago

I've never smoked, but in my cubicle days I often tag along with a colleague who did smoke. They'd have a puff, I'd get coffee, and we'd hang out and chat for five or ten minutes outside.

buu700 5y ago
I always did the same thing. It'd be nicer if we could build a social convention of drink breaks instead of smoke breaks, which could sort of bootstrap off of smoke breaks in the way you described. At first a few people in any given circle would be drinking instead of smoking, and then over time, as more people opt for coffee/tea/water over cigarettes, it gradually becomes normalized to take breaks without having anyone smoke.
- simondotau 5y ago
  That pretty much did happen in our case, there was only one smoker in our group and we'd have coffee breaks even if he wasn't around that day.

SilverRed 5y ago

This is why I love working from home. I'll go outside whenever I want and no one will know or try to stop me. As long as stuff keeps getting done, no one cares. Sometimes I just need 10 mins to prune some bonsai trees to feel refreshed enough to continue for the day.

wccrawford 5y ago

I worked at a few places that allowed smokers extra breaks because of their "need". When others asked for the same breaks, they were denied them. It didn't really go over well, but nobody cared enough to really fight it publicly. I suspect the morale problem it caused cost a lot more than those short breaks would have.

grillvogel 5y ago

the random networking is one thing i miss about not smoking anymore. you get to socialize with tons of people/coworkers you wouldnt normally talk to, you all start out with a shared interest and everyones in a good mood.