Giving non-smokers a break

Do the maths. A typical cigarette break lasts 15 minutes. A smoker takes four smoke breaks a day and works 223 nine-hour days a year. How many days does the person spend smoking at work every year? Need help? The answer is nearly 25 days.

Many non-smoking workers think it is unfair that smokers get extra break time. At a Japanese marketing firm called Piala Inc., one of the non-smoking employees put a message in the company’s suggestion box, complaining about the problem. “Our CEO saw the comment and agreed, so we are giving non-smokers some extra time off to compensate,” Hirotaka Matsushima, a spokesman for the company, told The Telegraph.

Non-smoking employees can now take an extra six days of paid leave every year. Matsushima, a non-smoker, has taken advantage of the new policy. He used the extra days to visit a spa with his family.