There would be no correlation whatsoever between smoking and being labeled as a “bad employee” if it weren’t for the fact that we now live in a society where smokers are now second-class citizens. Thanks to an ongoing campaign of social engineering based on lies and corrupt science, it is now expected that smokers are to be “kept in their place,” so to speak. And in regard to workplaces, that place of course is outside. In an increasingly disturbing number of cases, this also includes vacating the entire premises!
As a 35-year smoker, this author is willingly among the first to own up to the fact that cigarettes are addictive. Very addictive. A person who has never smoked has no idea of how much we need that nicotine fix, and moreover at reasonable intervals of time. However, tobacco is a legal addiction, just as the caffeine found in that cup of coffee or bottle of Mountain Dew.
Now here’s the problem. A nonsmoker at the very least can gulp that caffeinated beverage down or munch on Fritos or any other snack in a nice breakroom; enclosed from any of the potentially harsh elements that lurk outdoors. In many instances; depending on the job description, this can be done even at the work station.
Conversely, the unfortunate employee who happens to be a smoker first has to exit the building, and then typically walk to an inconspicuous location so that he or she cannot be seen by anyone else indulging in their habit, which of course is now regarded as filthy and disgusting.
By the time the smoking employee is finally able to light up, five of those fifteen allotted minutes have passed. As a result, he or she has to suck that cigarette down as fast as possible in order to return to their job. And on the return trip, the smoker must then spray a shot of breath freshener or air purifier on their person to avoid the risk of a nonsmoking coworker telling them that they reek, which incidentally wouldn’t be an issue in the first place if smoking was allowed indoors as it was for decades. Why? Because the nonsmokers would once again be conditioned and thus desensitized to the smell. You see, tobacco foes thought of everything in their clever agenda of demonizing smokers!
Finally, the smoker returns to his or her post; either with just seconds remaining or a minute or two over their allotted fifteen minutes. If they have to leave the entire property, another couple of minutes can be added.
Thus, smokers who take these much-needed breaks are often accused of abusing this privilege and labeled as “bad employees.” How fair is that? Let’s suppose that everyone had to go outside to enjoy that cup of coffee or bag of chips. Then those nonsmokers would see what we smokers must endure at the workplace in a hurry, wouldn’t they?
Certainly, any place of work can have their fair share of employees who try to “beat the system,” as it were; smokers and nonsmokers alike. You know who these people are, right? The ones who become mysteriously ill as soon as the weather turns nice. The ones who call in because their brother-in-law needs help moving a sofa. Those who wait until eight minutes past the hour to clock out so they’ll be paid for another fifteen minutes.
But the point is this: In regard to breaks, nonsmokers clearly have the advantage over their smoking counterparts. With ridiculous mandates that won’t so much as even allow separate breakrooms for smokers and nonsmokers, those who smoke are literally forced into a race with the clock.
Since a return to the good old days where smokers and nonsmokers were treated as equals isn’t likely to take place anytime soon, cut those who smoke a little slack, okay?
