Written By: Mahmoud Mansi
The average number of smokers consume around one pack of cigarettes a day or less. During their working hours they will take at least five short breaks in order to smoke. During these short breaks there are various unnoticed benefits for the concerned employees and for the organization. No doubt smoking has its harms as a habit, however we can see a different perspective…
1-Back, Neck and Eye Pain Release
Continuous working on the desk causes back and neck pain, same goes with staring at the screen for a long time and forgetting to rest. Nonsmokers in most organizations tend to spend more time on their desks forgetting all about taking short breaks.
2-Brainstorming and Communicating
Many smokers would agree that during their “short breaks” they mingle very well with colleagues or managers, talk about KPI’s, discuss concerns related to work, suggest ideas, share solutions and communicate more freely than inside the office environment.
3-Meditation, Less Fatigue, More Focused
If not mingling with others, some of the smoking breaks are all about solitude, spending time with the self, breathing slowly and contemplating the view or some ideas. This solitude and quick meditation gives the person the chance to take a mental and emotional break from the stress environment then return back recharged and ready to complete the day.
4-Fresh Air and More Exposure to Sun
Employees are almost trapped all morning and evening at the office, they forget that they need to breathe fresh air instead of the air conditioner and be exposed to natural sunlight. Many employees suffer vitamin D deficiency because of that reason.
5-More Connected to Personal Life
Usually spending most of the time answering office calls, emails and delivering tasks on the laptop or doing some paperwork, employees forget to check their social media updates, call a family member or answer a message sent from a friend. Work keeps them detached from the community and it might cause increase in stress or anxiousness. With breaks employees tend to check their personal messages and have a chance to connect and fulfil their social needs.
Solutions!
Healthwise, smoking is harmful, and smokers – like all other people – are attached to a habit. Every person has a different habit that they wish to change or not!
The purpose behind this article is to see the other side, and how professionals can change the system of the organization in order to provide the discussed five benefits to ALL employees (smokers and non-smokers), and therefore have a working environment that cares about their employees’ backpain, neck pain, eye dryness problems, providing channels of informal communication and innovative ways to brainstorm, caring about employees’ fatigue and nourishing their souls and minds with meditation, giving a chance for employees to be daily exposed to the sunlight and nature, and giving some measured space for them to connect with their families and community.