
The Secret Cult of Office Smokers - cwan
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_20/b4178073158612.htm
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necrecious
One of my friends said smoking was his secret weapon to networking.

Because smoking is a habit cuts across hierarchies, you can meet a broader
spectrum of people than just randomly talk to people at a networking event.

Also smoking time is discreet, so your convo have a natural end without
awkwardness.

~~~
w00pla
It is not only that. Smoking cuts across cultural lines - you can smoke with
someone who have great difficulty to speak English (which would otherwise be a
stupid situation). You can also have a conversation with very poor (manual
labourers) without it being akward.

What is also nice is that you can meet people - by just asking for a light.
Most smokers are extremely friendly to other smokers and if two people stands
outside a building smoking, it is natural for them to talk. It is the new
Freemasons.

I've sometimes wonder why tobacco companies doesn't embrace this with a slogan
such as: "Smoking turns strangers into friends".

~~~
_delirium
Asking for a light also provides a natural excuse to start a conversation with
someone who there's no real reason to approach otherwise.

(I don't smoke myself, but I've ended up in more than one conversation I
wouldn't have otherwise had, because I was with a friend who smoked, who
approached a stranger in that manner.)

------
phugoid
The article makes it look like office smoking is a wild party. It's not. If
you're a social person, you'll be a social smoker. But if you're not very
social, you'll be smoking alone.

I've smoked all over the world, freezing in Montreal's -30 C blowing winds and
baking in Dubai's 45 C humid summers. Most of that time, I was smoking alone.

What I miss is the hourly break from what I'm doing. That thinking time is
where I seemed to solve the toughest problems.

~~~
j_baker
If the hourly break makes you more productive, I say take one anyway. Being a
smoker shouldn't entitle you to extra privileges, nor should quitting deprive
you of any.

~~~
mvp
What appears normal and acceptable while you are a smoker feels pretty
abnormal and unacceptable once you are free from the habit.

~~~
DannoHung
For non-smokers, it is the "go get a cup of coffee" break.

~~~
Psyonic
Ya, but a cup of coffee an hour would have me bouncing off walls by noon.

------
bliss
I've recently quit smoking and I am feeling a little out in the cold
(figuratively speaking) because my network that I've developed over the last 4
years has suddenly been reduced to a simple wave when I pass them rather than
meaningful conversations.

The smoking shelter is much like the golf course in my opinion, smokers share
an out of work interest and that creates a bond. I know that the interest is a
horrifically addictive drug, but it's the (decreasingly) acceptable face of
drug taking.

For the bosses that think a smoke break is bad for productivity... You're
wrong, things get done on smoke breaks, being away from your desk in a
different context gives your unconscious time to work.

Instead of grumbling about smokers taking time out, I'd recommend that non-
smokers take up the habit. By which of course I mean the habit of social
breaks.

~~~
_delirium
In some settings, I've actually gotten some of the benefits of the smoke-
breaks without smoking by simply accompanying smokers who I knew. I suppose it
might be awkward if it were 8 smokers plus me as the only non-smoker, but I've
mostly worked in offices with very few smokers, who might otherwise be
standing outside smoking by themselves, so I ask if I can join them, if it's
someone I at least sort of know already.

It does add slightly more social awkwardness, since I sort of have to explain
why I would want to join them on a smoke break if I don't smoke, but I
actually do genuinely enjoy getting out of my chair and going outside for a
few minutes, and maybe swinging by the coffee cart on the way back, and it
seems to have worked out well with at least a few coworkers I've had.

~~~
mst
Several offices I've worked in now I've intentionally invited non-smokers out
to join me - "fancy getting some fresh air while I pollute mine?" is often a
good way to phrase it - and with a little care one can arrange for the non-
smokers to stand upwind of the smokers to ensure they're not breathing stale
smoke.

The reason for this was multifold - it got them a break, it got us a few
minutes to chat, and while there was often some socialisation, in a group of
programmers there was also almost always useful discussion of the stuff we
were working on and brainstorming.

Here at Shadowcat, my development team is geographically distributed but our
business guy (co-founder, non-smoker) and sysadmin (fellow smoker) are on
site, and all three of us often go out for breaks together and use that time
to update each other on where we're up to with stuff (or what we're stuck on)
- the end result is as much as anything else an ad-hoc miniature stand-up
meeting except with strictly optional carcinogens available at the same time
:)

~~~
_delirium
Ah yeah, I've seen that too. I feel smokers, and some non-smokers, are often
worried/nervous about that "upwind" aspect, though. If everyone's a smoker or
nonsmoker you don't get that, but if it's mixed, people can feel self-
conscious about it one way or another. I think it partly works out okay for me
because I don't care much about it, because due to a particular history I
actually sort of like second-hand smoke, at least in modest amounts, and have
a decent story to convince people of why. (More or less: Although I was
born/raised in the U.S., half my family's Greek, and I spent a lot of my
childhood summers there... and almost nobody I knew in the U.S. while young
smoked, while almost everyone I knew in Greece smoked, so I've developed
positive associations with cigarette smoke, where it seems totally natural for
an outdoor, lounging-and-discussing setting, and reminds me of long dinners by
the waterfront and other such pleasant things.)

------
wehriam
Smoking is a morbid fascination and an affirmation of our mortality. But it's
hard to grasp that significance until you've witnessed an eighteen month
battle with lung cancer. It's a slow and painful death.

To be clear, if you smoke there is a very strong possibility you will die
tethered to an oxygen machine, wearing a diaper, and unable to swallow.

~~~
jawngee
Not that I'm suggesting that you smoke - because I most certainly am not - but
I'm wondering what sort of illusions one might hold about how painless their
death might be if they did not smoke?

If you look at the top 20 types of deaths in the United States, nearly all of
them are painful. The only certainty is that by smoking you are almost insured
of it - supposing a stroke or aneurysm doesn't take you out.

I'm honestly not trolling, I've always felt it curious when people tell me
that smoking results in a painful death, leaving me wondering how they think
they are going to be going out of this world. Natural causes? Not likely.

~~~
jbellis
Well, it's a mixed bag.

Top causes of death in the US, 2009:

Heart disease: 631,636. From what I have read, heart attacks are painful but
usually over with quickly. Living with a pacemaker or heart surgery can suck
but I'd definitely take that over lung cancer.

Cancer: 559,888. Notably, includes other smoking-related cancers (esophageal,
pancreatic, etc) besides just lung.

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 137,119. Again, over with quickly if it
kills you. It's when it doesn't kill you and leaves you half-paralyzed that it
sucks.

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583. "80% to. 90% of all patients with
chronic lower respiratory disease have a history of smoking."

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 121,599. No idea how this generalizes.
Probably "not as bad as cancer," overall.

Diabetes: 72,449. Unusually non-painful, for something that kills you,
although some of the side effects are a bitch (e.g., going blind). Insulin
shots or IVs to try to control blood sugar levels are also fairly non-painful
as medical intervention goes.

Alzheimer's disease: 72,432. I'd take lung cancer, if I had to pick.

------
staunch
> _"I stood outside a building that houses a large online marketing company in
> Los Angeles employing about 150 people—I have already said too much..."_

I know the author was half-joking, but: "Software Engineer" + "Sooraj
Akkammadam" + "Los Angeles" + LinkedIn = LowerMyBills.com

------
etal
An office can get nearly the same effect by installing an automatic espresso
machine someplace not too close to close to the desks. Unlike the default
American coffee, it's not quite enough liquid to be worth taking back to your
desk; you don't waste time preparing it manually; you still need to wait a
minute for the sugar to dissolve and the drink to cool off a bit, and then sip
on it for another minute or so; and the caffeine content is moderate enough to
justify several trips a day.

It also pairs well with cigs, so a smoker and a non-smoker can take a break
together without it being awkward.

~~~
olihb
This. We have a regular espresso machine at work and it's the place talk
casually because it takes at least 3-4 minutes to make a latte or a
cappuccino. And who will complain about the free coffee? It's a very good way
to boost morale at a very low price. Even at 20$/lb :-)

------
edkennedy
Smoking leads to enhanced conversation and sociability because all the parties
involved are satisfying their cravings and enjoying the rush of brain
chemicals. Dopamine causes other types of social bonding too, like office
workers who go to the gym together, or have a drink after work.

The sad part about smoking however is the control dopamine begins to take over
the smoker, so that smoking becomes the high point of their day.

[http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web1/Ferrell.h...](http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web1/Ferrell.html)

I can't count how many opportunities were missed while I was smoking at the
price of the few opportunities it afforded.

------
RevRal
Smoking while coding sucks, there is no good way to do it without drying out
your eyeballs. I'm so glad I stopped smoking regularly.

But I still smoke for social reasons. Gives me something to do with my hands,
allows me to punctuate points with drags of the cigarette, gives me an excuse
to carry an awesome lighter, and introduces me to people.

------
alanthonyc
I can attest to some of this. I've worked with two specific individuals whose
careers I believe were directly helped by being smokers. Not to say that they
didn't deserve it, but it definitely helped.

~~~
tfh
I know some people who started smoking because of that. They only smoke at
work. I contemplated starting too, but I know I won't do it because I really
hate that smell.

~~~
wmeredith
I was a work only smoker for a year when my boss smoked and no one else in the
dept did. It helped a lot. It was never a kiss-ass thing and there wasn't any
direct benefit, no raises over non-smokers or anything.

But when we were working long hours and she went for a smoke I went with her
and we shot the shit. It just made us closer and it was more fun to work
together overall. (I had quit a pack a day habit years before and when I left
that job I stopped the work smoking.)

~~~
swah
You might be the person to tell me.

I always felt people can't stop because they associate smoking with bad
feelings. You give a smoker bad news and he lits one, every time.

Now you associated it with something good: engaging with the boss. And so you
could easily stop.

Would you agree with that?

~~~
wmeredith
No. Smoking's hard to stop because it's a crutch OR a boost (besides the
physically addictive properties of nicotine). You make a great sale: I'll go
have a smoke. You get your ass chewed because you screwed: I'll go have a
smoke. So no matter what you're smoking.

The hardest part about quitting for me, was the fact that I'd gotten used to a
5 minute break from MY LIFE every hour or so no matter what I was doing. It
was terrifying the first day I stopped habitually smoking all the time,
because I had nothing to look forward to. It was like I just had to get
through the next tiny chunk of whatever I was doing, but without that smoke
break coming up, I had the rest of my life to get through. This was all on a
fairly subconscious level and I can articulate it looking back, but at the
time I was just _really_ pissy.

I'm sure it's different for everyone. (The psychological part, anyway. I think
the physical addiction is just chemistry and takes time to get over.)

------
michaelcampbell
I loved this quote: "One guy acts like it's poison gas when we come back,"

Gee, ya think?

------
senki
This reminds me a Stephen King story: The Ten O'Clock People.

------
swah
The coolest guy in the world, Obama, smokes... (BTW, can he smoke on the White
House? Is it considered his house or a public property?)

~~~
hugh3
The coolest guy in the world is Jack Nicholson. Obama doesn't even crack the
top billion. The question about whether he can smoke inside the White House,
though, being a government building, is an interesting one.

