New Englanders React: Should Non-Smokers Get Extra Vacation Days?
A new study by Halo Cigs found that when people who smoke take breaks, it adds up to about six total work days per year.
We posted a non-scientific poll on HOM’s Facebook page with the question: Should non-smokers get extra vacation days since they don't take smoke breaks?
Here are the results:
As you can see, 306 people voted. An overwhelming 80% of the respondents said "yes;" 20% said "no." In Halo Cigs' more scientific survey of over 1,000 people, which analyzed the feedback of both non-smokers and smokers, 80% of non-smokers and 62% of smokers said non-smokers should get more time off from work.
Judging from the comments in our poll, it appears as though people are focused on jobs that pay hourly wages. Companies that hire hourly employees may offer the same number of breaks to both smokers and non-smokers. Whereas, salaried employees who are non-smokers are usually not given special breaks to go outside and do something else, or if they take this time, it is frowned upon by their supervisors.
Approximately 36.5 million adults in the U.S. smoke, according to Halo Cigs. The study goes on to say: The law doesn't require breaks for employees; however, additional paid smoking breaks have been provided to employees who request them without the same time offered to nonsmoking employees.
Even though it's too late to vote, you can still weigh in with a comment on the Facebook post or in the comments section below.