I have no problem with people taking breaks all day. Whatever. If they get their work done, then fine. It has been shown that people who grind for 8 hours get like 4 hours of actual work done a day. Yeah yeah, I know *you're* the exception (not you specifically) but really, you're not. You're not more productive because you sit at your desk more. In fact, evidence suggests otherwise.
Having said that, I rarely leave my cage at work. Given that I'm in the city, that's a bit of a shame really. There's a lot to see.
I do have a problem that I pay the same insurance as they do. That idea can SaD.
When I'm working on something and hit a roadblock, I often come here. This is my break to mentally vent, and I think it's healthier for me than just banging my head against the wall. I don't think that smokers as a rule do this. But mental breaks are good. The difference is that when my needed break is done, I can tune back in on what I was working on. The smoker checks out for 15 minutes then likely comes back and checks mail/mtbnj/facebook for another 10 minutes. You're really straining the limits of what you can actually get done when you start to crunch those numbers.
I don't endorse the habit at all though.
But maybe smokers (and fatsos) really are less productive:
http://news.health.com/2010/09/27/obesity-smoking-productivity/
So F it, fire them all. In the end, when the RIF man comes, the slackers usually get axed. Maybe that's why there are fewer and fewer smokers in the workplace these days. Smokers are less productive, and the less productive get cut first, in general.
Ok, I'm going to take a 15er so I can go freebase outside.