# Should smokers be paid a lower wage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 8, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314 "2015-09-08T00:52:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314/21 "2015-09-09T19:23:00Z")
Or just pay people less that take extra breaks. I’m a smoker and take my allotted breaks, I’ve taken an extra break 4 times in the last 9 months and only two of those were to smoke. Several of my non-smoking coworkers take at least an extra break every day. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314/22 "2015-09-16T16:23:57Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Where did you get the idea that smokers just “get to” take extra breaks? Plenty of employers don’t allow that. > [@boffking](#): > > At my company, they do. Same where I worked. And the funny thing was, no one could ever smoke\* by themselves\*. Every hour, like clockwork, four or five people would march downstairs (well, take the elevator actually) and stand in the doorway for about 10 or 15 minutes. They would come back, reeking, and wonder why all the phones are ringing, unanswered. It was pretty discouraging at times. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314/23 "2015-09-17T14:27:51Z")
Heck, of my three direct managers, two smoke (I don’t), and four to five times a day, they ask me to “go smoke” with them. Of course, we talk business during those times, planning the rest of the night, but it does set a bad example for our associates. I think the manager I worked with last night was outside at least ten times; every time I called him over our radio to find his location, he seemed to be outside. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314/24 "2015-09-17T15:02:53Z")
Sure pay smokers less. Everybody knows lower wages are the best incentive ever! ---
**Author:** ![HumanBear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@HumanBear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumanBear)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314/25 "2015-09-17T16:58:25Z")
Well wages go up as you get older while productivity may well decline as you become set in your ways and don’t take on board new ideas. So something that kills off the older generation and allows the younger in will reduce wages; improve productivity; reduce unemployment; improve the fashion sense of an office; reduce all those medical expenses the seriously elderly have to pay; reduce pension payouts; and many, many more positive things. In fact I think companies should force people to smoke! Or you could just stop worrying about what other people are doing in your office and get on with your own life. How dare people have a break and enjoy themselves when someone else isn’t! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-smokers-be-paid-a-lower-wage/730314.md?page=1)