Having read many previous discussions here, I am under the impression that smoking is not as restricted in public buildings in the United Kingdom as it is here in the United States. However, something I noticed about The Office (original British version) got me to thinking.
In the show, there is (according to the official Web site) an official “smoking room.” And, indeed, there are a couple of huge ashtrays filled with what seems like decades’ worth of ashes and cigarette butts. However, I also notice that this room serves as the kitchen, pantry, tea/coffee room, lunch room, and general hanging out room.
Now, here in the United States, if an office were even to provide a separate smoking room, they certainly wouldn’t make it the room where food is kept and where others eat. Wouldn’t this kind of an arrangement bother those who want to have lunch free of cigarette smoke?
What’s the situation? Are British office workers expected to eat lunch in the smoking room?
You’ll find such rooms gradually disappearing now, to be replaced by outdoor smoking areas, as firms anticipate the European-style legislation within the next couple of years. Any employee could probably cause their employers to hasten such a situation by initiating legal proceedings if they thought they were “forced to eat in smoke”, I guess.
What SentientMeat said. A modern workplace that hasn’t provided smoke-free facilities for all of what you mention isn’t a good employer - hence the appearance of such a situation in The Office. You might want to look out for another BBC programme in the same genre: The Smoking Room.
Ah, so it wouldn’t happen at a good, modern workplace. But was it common in the recent past?
Looks like it’s not on BBC America’s schedule.
Oh, absolutely, In fact only a decade ago it would not be unheard of to have people smoking at their desks, a situation common in earlier decades still. The pace of change has been really quite rapid across the board, from public transport to leisure premises to workplaces.
When smoking restrictions were first introduced it was usually a case of not permitting smoking in most rooms, but leaving other rooms at the status quo. So you didn’t get rooms for smoking, you just got rooms where you smoking wasn’t disallowed. Inevitably these tended to be the rooms where staff took their break.
It’s entirely in keeping with The Office that the company maintains this outdated policy. I’m sure some workplaces still have this arrangement, but not many.
The very first summer job I had involved working in an office where smoking was permitted. I hated it. Now I can’t even imagine working in an office where some employees are permitted to stink up the place for everyone else. It is so patently unfair and unacceptable.
But it is strange how what was commonplace 20 years ago is now unimaginable.