Study suggests smokers get an 'extra week off' from cigarette breaks

Smokers are bagging an extra week off work per year as a result of cigarette breaks, a study reveals.

A staggering 52 per cent of smokers step away from their desks several times a day to smoke or vape, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS).

While 20 minutes a day in the smoking area may not sound like a big deal, it totals almost 40 hours a year – meaning that they're essentially getting an extra six days off.

It comes after one non-smoking worker said that she took it upon herself to take the same breaks as her smoking colleagues.

In a viral TikTok, Syd (@poorandhungry) said she once got in trouble for taking the breaks, but believes she was entitled to them.

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"So basically a person that sat right next to me was a smoker and they were entitled to X number of smoke breaks whatever in the handbook, but as a non-smoker I didn't get any breaks or I couldn't leave early or anything," Syd explained.

She continued: "So every time they went to go take their smoke break I would also go outside and just hand it on my phone until they were done on their smoke break, and then I would just go inside."

Her viral clip was flooded with comments from fellow TikTokers.

"When I worked at a pizza hut we called them "air breaks". All breaks are necessary," one person joked, while one boss said they "used to give the non-smokers fruit breaks. Take five mins, go have a little orange."

Meanwhile, a third joked: "I'd bring a pack of cigarettes and not smoke them if corporate were to be petty like that."

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