Staff Are Banned From Smoking - Even When Working From HOME - by Japanese Brokers Nomura

Daily Mail ^ | 3 September 2021 | Charlotte Mitchell

[nickcarraway]

A Japanese brokerage firm has banned its staff from smoking, even while working from home.

Nomura, the country's biggest investment bank, has asked its local staff to give up smoking during the working day in a move labelled as 'intrusive'.

More than half of the company's staff in Japan are currently working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nomura announced the move in an internal memo on Tuesday, saying in a statement the following day that the new policy - introduced without plans for monitoring or punishment for rule breakers - will improve employee health and the workplace environment.

But some staff thought there might be another motive, telling the Financial Times that the new rule, which takes effect in October, effectively scraps cigarette breaks, requiring smokers to use their lunchtime to light up.

Previously, regular cigarette breaks were part of the work culture - and were often resented by non-smokers as paid time off to which they are not entitled.

[enumerated]

“Previously, regular cigarette breaks were part of the work culture, and were often resented by non-smokers as paid time off to which they are not entitled.”

This doesn’t make sense… couldn’t non-smokers take the breaks and just not smoke?

[LordOddsocks]

“couldn’t non-smokers take the breaks and just not smoke”

In places I have worked while the “leper colony” walks outside to light up, those remaining have a chat about their own health and diet.

Under the circumstances, vegans who smoke, feel hard done by. :-)

[Gay State Conservative]

Several years ago,while in Hong Kong,we made it a point to take a day trip to Macau...which is just a short boat ride away. Macau is known mainly for its huge casinos and we visited a couple of them.As you can imagine their patrons are mainly Chinese and every damn person in these joints was smoking like a chimney...you absolutely couldn't breathe.

I'm not sure if the Japanese are the same but if,by chance,they are I can almost understand this requirement.

[rarestia]

I’ve heard this excuse used but they’re never satisfied. It always came down to:

1) those dirty smokers smell bad and make us all look bad
2) they shouldn’t be able to “feel good” through chemical stimulation (as they gulp down a sugary concoction from Starbucks)
3) they should have to pay more for health insurance (this one is gaining popularity)

I guess personal responsibility and freedom are becoming old hat. Now we must bow down to technocracy and 24/7 monitoring by our employers. We’re becoming a cyberpunk dystopia, and we don’t even realize it.