I find it mildly infuriating that some coworkers think entering a break room gives them license to play loud music over speakers, use obscene language (especially to and about other coworkers), and disrupt the fifteen minutes of peace and quiet some of us crave in the workplace.
I also can’t stand the fact that smokers can take unlimited ‘breaks’ whenever they please just to come back stinking up an entire room with their smoke.
I’m missing something… what about this photo makes your coworkers terrible?
They didn’t put the paper towels in the center of the table.
OP added context. Their work colleagues relax on their breaks in a different way than OP does and this is the end of the world apparently. Everyone must sit in silence, no music, no swearing, no smoke breaks. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that OP isn’t exactly well liked by their colleagues…
I do agree with OP on the thing about smokers though. You shouldn’t get special privileges just because you’re a drug addict.
Lmao! Do you call tea and coffee drinkers “drug addicts” too?! Yup, smoke breaks should either be deducted from the allotted lunch break, or all employees should be allowed to step outside for 5 mins or whatever.
It depends on how often they use their drug and how they act about it. If you can’t function and treat people like shit because you haven’t had your coffee/tea yet, you’re a drug addict.
This is an emotionally manipulative tactic, and not a great look. It’s no different than calling copyright infringement “theft”, abortion “murder”, or someone who speeds a “criminal”.
Note that you’re not wrong. People that get cranky if they don’t get enough caffeine are probably feeling some withdrawals from it, and caffeine is a drug, but calling those people “drug addicts” leverages the emotional connotation from it’s more colloquial usage. If you can’t support your stance without emotional manipulation, you don’t have much of a stance, yeah?
Who am I manipulating? It’s just my opinion.
To be fair, people should wear their fucking headphones.
Disgraceful.
I bet they left the washup sponge in the sink as well.
And the sugar spoon in the coffee. That may be a UK thing only though.
Workers taking smoke breaks is fine. Anything that gives workers more breaks is good. You can takethose breaks too. Just tell them its a smoke break. If management says anything, tell them you have just as much need for it as anyone who smokes. Don’t get mad at your fellow workers. Get mad at the employer.
As a former smoker I can relate to both sides. Cigs are pointless crap and I hate them even when I’m smoker myself (I went out of addiction and back several times over years).
Having short breaks for smoke or whatever else is perfectly fine for me, unless everyone do their job. For me personally they’re help, not distraction. If smokers have a special privilege for some reason, it’s super stupid, but that’s on the employee, not smokers.
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You sound fun.
If you want peace and quiet a workplace generally isn‘t it. Cities and towns in general, I think it drives a lot of us crazy this constant noise and bustle, so little quiet places. I found a corner behind some building in my workplace where rarely anyone ventures to take my break and that‘s the best I could do.
Don’t you have HR-manager/department to deal with such issues? Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to report it if it affected me and I don’t speak about going for some hard consequences. There are plenty of things HR could do in such situations to improve the work place culture. Maybe they’re used to do what they were always doing back in high school days and need to learn that work place isn’t exactly like that?