Would it be okay if your coworker didn’t work as much as you, and yet get paid the same? Would it be fair if this person killed an innocent human or put them in the hospital, and receive no consequences?

Introduction

My speech is about smoke breaks, and why they harpen the productivity of our jobs as well as others lives.

My research has showed me that freedom, socialization and exhaustion are the main arguments in favor of smoke breaks, I will address these now.

First of all, your freedom ends when it interrupts the one from someone else. Second, socializing shouldn’t be a priority in a job to the point of harming others and yourself. And third, there shouldn’t be a need to take a smoke break to take a break from overworking. I will procced to elaborate.

Body

Smoke breaks consist in taking a break from work, usually in a special room. According to Piang (2017), 464.9 million us dollars were loss in Singapore productivity in just a 2014 due to smoking. This is because the companies that allow smoke breaks often don’t offer regular breaks so workers even fake being smokers, so they can rest. And even if the business allows regular breaks, additional time to rest is given to smokers with no penalty (Delaney, 2018). “If you want more breaks, start smoking” this kind of message is sadly true, but it doesn't stop there. Because of the effects of secondhand smoke, 600 000 people died. This is higher than the death tolls from tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. Although this is the worst-case scenario and the majority is alive, it doesn’t deter from the fact that most of who are alive have lung problems, get tired easier and are less productive. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg, all these problems are much worse in active smokers. But we are yet to reach the bottom of the iceberg. Due to the human desire to socialize and social pressure, many who don’t smoke will end up being addicts as the opportunity to take a smoke break is too tempting. This is the case of Jamie, a girl with no desire to smoke but who upon reaching 16 and started working at a hotel, she felt pressured into doing it. “If you want more breaks, start smoking” this are her words, and a message many of the fifteen participants in a 2017 academic research share.

Conclusion

In conclusion, smoke breaks harpen the productivity by causing the death of some smokers and secondhand smokers. While harming the health and stamina of most. On top of it, it’s a vicious cycle that attracts by social pressure and the desire to rest ton non-smokers, making them addicts who support smoke breaks and end up attracting more nonsmokers.

Cher, B. P., Chen, C., & Yoong, J. (2017). Prevalence-based, disease-specific estimate of the social cost of smoking in Singapore. BMJ open, 7(4), e014377.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/4/e014377.abstract

Delaney, H., MacGregor, A., & Amos, A. (2018). “Tell them you smoke, you’ll get more breaks”: a qualitative study of occupational and social contexts of young adult smoking in Scotland. BMJ open, 8(12), e023951.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/12/e023951.abstract

Keep up the good job !!!