Breckland District , Norfolk County, England - smokers to work extra to make up time on smoke breaks..

September 28, 2010 - Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. In what is believed to be the first move of its kind in the country, Breckland Council employees that smoke will have to work extra to make up for the lost time and make sure they are pulling their weight as much as the non-smokers. The move will affect all 280 members of staff, from managers to office workers, and smokers would be expected to make up any lost hours.

The policy is due to be discussed by the council's general purposes committee on Wednesday, September 29th which will decide when the plans will be implemented. If they approve the new rule, which is currently 'recommended' for approval, it will come into force on November 1, 2010. A council spokesman explained the policy, believed to be the first of its kind in Britain, was developed following a poll of staff.

Many smokers agreed with the proposal because they felt it would end any animosity towards them from non-smoking staff.

Reference: Council forces smoking staff to clock off when they puff so they do same amount of work as non-smokers by Andrea Levy, DailyMail.co.uk, 9/28/2010.