Productivity vs Smoke-tivity

It is considered as a stress-reducing exercise that helps to de-stress and re-focus - no matter how busy you are. It is legalized at tapdi’s near office premises. It is looked upon as a mandatory break in-between the jaded office hours. It acts as a productivity booster. But is it worth giving so much significance? The answer to this may not bother to them who live with it!!!I am talking about Smoking...the buzzword in the corporate world.
Packets hauling tobacco sticks have a caveat : ‘Smoking is injurious to health’. But who cares!!!
In a recent survey conducted at various corporate offices at diversified geographical locations across the globe, it was illustrated that a person breaks for around 30-40 mins in a day on an average for “ciggie breaks”, excluding the time of reaching the smoking zone and gathering folks as well for the same on the way. As a result of this, even non-smokers end up wasting time occasionally. Like me ;-). Few days back an article in ET alleged, “Smoking and excessive drinking by employees was resulting in an annual loss of about Rs 700 to Rs 800 crore for companies”. The study assumed that 29 per cent corporate employees indulge in "self destructive" activities such as smoking, drinking and consuming junk food, which cause chronic illnesses. This results in about 20% of absenteeism in corporate offices and loss of productivity hours as well thereby affecting profits big time!!On the contrary, smokers believe the other way round. They reckon that smoking increases their productivity by dipping the stress levels and thereby permit them to work for some extra hours. Well, I don't know if its irrefutable.
According to a research by Couriermail, smoking costs businesses nearly 800 million dollars in absenteeism each year as smokers are 1.4 times more likely to be absent from work than non-smokers.
“Unfortunately at many workplaces, smoke breaks can turn into an unproductive social get-together where groups of employees take pre-arranged smoke breaks, favorite coffee mug in hand, and usually get involved in a gossip fest about the latest workplace goings-on”, the concern raised by the HR personnel of a MNC.
The HR spokesperson of some companies even believe, ”banning or keeping a check on smoking might result in demotivation among Cigarette-liking employees”.
Undeniably, it’s an arguable subject matter and difficult to choose, whether it(smoking) surges productivity or diminishes profits....