Smokers told to ‘clock off’ at breaks
WORKERS at one cash-strapped council will have to clock off whenever they nip out for a cigarette break, it emerged yesterday.
The ruling aims to ensure smokers do the same amount of work as their non-smoking colleagues.
All 280 staff at Tory-run Breckland Council, Norfolk, will be affected. Smokers are expected to make up any lost hours.
Council leader William Nunn said: “Only about 20 per cent of our staff smoke so we don’t think it’s going to be a big issue.”
But the move was criticised by pro-smoking lobby group Forest. A spokesman said: “Many smokers believe having the occasional cigarette allows them to refocus.”
Research by website OnePoll.com earlier this year found smokers puff away more than a year of their working lives on breaks.
Most smokers take four 15 minute breaks a day, costing their employers 240 working hours a year in lost productivity.
It works out at 10,680 hours during a smoker’s working life.
