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I just need to rant and see if anyone else if having this issue. I work in dialysis as a RN; I find that a lot of my fellow coworkers smoke. The issue I'm having is that we are allotted 2 fifteen minutes breaks and 1 half-hour meal break. I am finding that my fellow coworkers are spending 15min at a time smoking then they complain that they didn't get a break or that they are having a meal break late (they take 45 min by the way, because they have to have a smoke before returning to the unit). I expressed my concern for the patients (with almost everyone smoking, there isn't that many of us taking care of the patients) to my boss, but she is a smoker. I notice one coworker was only in the unit for 45 min in a two hour time frame.
:mad:I think its unfair to the nonsmokers who aren't taking 4-5 fifteen min breaks plus a extra long meal break. Lets just say my fellow coworkers are not happy when I hold them to this rule and remind them that they have coworkers who may want to take a break too.
Am i wrong for this?? has anyone had issues concerning smoking and breaks??
It's a chronic problem at my job, and it extends to the nurses, CNAs, unit secretaries and other ancillary staff. On any shift other than 7-3 and on the weekends all the house RNs smoke as well. They are commonly the only RN in the building and frequently don't respond to pages because they're outside smoking.
I know at my job people don't consider ducking outside to smoke a break. Four or five cig breaks plus two fifteens plus a half hour lunch is the norm for most smokers. They are also incredibly defensive if the issue is brought up. I just ignore it at this point but I hate not being able to reach the supervisor or esp. having the one non-smoking CNA on the floor busting her ass while the others are out smoking. Also I never mind helping other nurses out but when I'm constantly being called to attend to their patients because they're out smoking I do get irritated.
Smoke breaks annoy me. The smokers will ALL go out together. They duck down the back stairs. We're offically allowed 2 half hour breaks and 2 15 minute breaks in a 14 hour shift. The smokers will take an extra 2 or 3, plus extend their half hour because they 'have to eat as well as smoke'.It makes it worse that they have to walk off the premises to smoke now. Management know this is a problem, but can't or won't address it.
14 hour shift??? seriously.
My facility is non-smoking, and that includes leaving the grounds during your lunch. No smoking during your shift, period. I have worked in other facilities that have allowed smoking. I am a smoker as well, and I can honestly say that I barely had time to eat, let alone smoke. And I really don't think it's cool to come in to a patient's room reeking like an ashtray, that's just nasty. It always made me mad to see other smokers abuse that, and they were always the ones needing help to catch up at the end of the shift. If I didn't get a break because we were busy, they sure as heck weren't getting any help from me! I like the fact that my current place of employment is non-smoking, but we still have breaktime abusers. I guess you have that anywhere. I've just never understood why someone thinks they are entitled to extra breaks just because they smoke. Wear a nicotine patch if you can't get through your shift, people are counting on you!
vlomankill
34 Posts
I've told a nurse, that she used up her meal break smoking and to get back to her patients. my boss told me i couldn't do that and that everyone should get a meal break. i responded that she did, she just used it to smoke. i just don't understand my smoking coworkers, and how they justify the extra time to smoke. i'm trying to understand, but i can't.