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Smoking and snacking breaks have become more of an integral part of modern-day work-life.
However, one Japanese employee in Osaka had to pay dearly for taking 'too many' smoking breaks.
The 61-year-old employee religiously puffed 4,500 cigarettes in 14 years, which resulted in a penalty of over Rs 900,000 (approx. BD4,000).
The employee’s actions also led to a 10% reduction in his salary for over six months.
According to a report, authorities in Osaka had warned the man several times.
The employee had taken more than 3,400 smoke breaks at work. But what’s even more shocking is that he and two other employees owned a secret stash of tobacco that was discovered by the Human Resources department. Despite being warned to refrain from smoking in the office, they failed to adhere to the rules and refused to mend their ways.
As a result, the three employees were heavily fined.
People had mixed reactions to the story. But most thought that the penalty was too harsh and that acts such as smoking, snacking or having conversations in offices shouldn’t be criminalised.
However, Osaka has policies relating to smoking, as per the law, prohibiting it from being carried out on government premises and public schools since 2008.
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