How Do You Manage? Case Study: Smoking Gun

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By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 03/01/2006

Analysis I: Groh Up

By Sara Cook Holloway, Technical Services Division Head, Handley Regional Library, Stephens City, VA

There really are two issues here—confusion about the library's break policy and the staff member who has taken it upon herself to spy on her coworkers.

The first problem is the easier to address. The library's employee manual should clearly state the number of breaks staff may take per day. Perhaps there are union rules or city/county regulations regarding smoking breaks that the library already has in place. At any rate, all policies pertaining to break-taking should be reviewed by Chillme first before she responds to Groh's complaint.

Second, Chillme needs to discuss the issue with her supervisory staff, without discussing Groh's involvement, and go over the policy with them. Some policy revision may be in order in light of changes in local or state law, or from questions the supervisors bring to the table. The library's board will have to review and approve of any change in policy.

Third, at the next full staff meeting, Chillme needs to review the break policy with everyone without naming names or allowing Groh to speak on the issue. While enforcing the policy may cause supervisors and administrative staff some headaches at first, eventually everyone should be taking only the allotted number of breaks per day.

The second problem is nastier. No one wants to work in an environment where coworkers spy and keep notes on one another. While Groh's intentions were undoubtedly the best when reporting this problem to the director, the ends do not justify the means. Groh may harbor feelings of workplace distrust and inequality in order to pursue this issue as she has. A meeting of Groh, Chillme, and Groh's supervisor is in order to air any other smoldering issues and to deal with them effectively before more smoking guns appear. While Chillme should politely comment on Groh's desire for workplace equality, Groh needs to be tactfully, but firmly, informed that spying on coworkers is not tolerated, and Chillme should reinforce other avenues through which Groh can express her concerns in the future.

Analysis II: Put It in Writing

By Becky Schaade, Outreach Services Manager, Fairfield County District Library, Lancaster, OH

While it may seem that smoking is the issue here, it is not. Certainly, a rift between the smoking and nonsmoking employees at Vickers PL is the catalyst in this situation, but a lack of an enforced break policy is truly to blame for the trouble.

Groh makes a good point about everyone having hobbies and habits, but these should not interfere with anyone's workday. It's obvious that for Wright, Dargan, and Valerio (and even Groh, with her enthusiastic scribblings), this has not been the case. All of them have, essentially, been sloughing off work duties during their paid workday.

The best way to solve this problem is to take a hard look at the current break policies of the library. These policies should be examined for compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and also with an eye toward what is fair for both library employees and management. If these policies were not written down in the past, they should be at this point for the sake of clarity. A good policy will include the amount of break time given per hours worked and wording that allows for a break to be taken only as a single unit (one 15-minute break, instead of three five-minute breaks).

After the break policy has been updated, it is time to have a staff meeting. Chillme should meet with the entire staff as a group, not just the smokers, to explain what the break policy is and ensure that it will be strictly enforced. Everyone is to have the breaks they are entitled to but should also be working when not on break.

Chillme should specifically mention that while a minute here to have a quick cigarette or a minute there to make a personal phone call was tolerated under the old policy, it will not be under the new one. Using a solid example, something along the lines of Groh's estimation of the time Wright spends smoking over the course of a year (without names, of course) should be helpful in making her case. Additionally, Chillme could spell out the disciplinary consequences for people who are not compliant.

Chillme should have a separate meeting with the supervisors to make sure they understand the new policy and its staffing implications: breaks are a mandatory part of an employee's day and making an employee do without the break because of staffing issues is unacceptable. Chillme should instruct the supervisors on how to document anyone found violating this policy, as an accounting will be necessary if disciplinary action is required. She should mention that those employees who supervise others will be held to the same high standards.

While it is likely that several members of the staff will be unhappy with this new policy, there are sure to be many more who will be pleased that their coworkers are finally working the same amount of time that they are.

“There goes the chimney,” Kathleen Groh said under her breath, watching fellow parapro Phyllis Wright heading toward the door of the Vickers Public Library, a cigarette and her lucky Zippo with the four-leaf clover on the side clutched tight in her fist.

Groh looked at her watch and scribbled the time on a slip of paper retrieved from the pocket of her skirt. Putting out the daily papers and tidying up the magazine racks in the periodicals area gave Groh the perfect vantage point to observe Wright puffing away while reading an article and chatting with patrons coming or going.

Wright exhaled a final plume of smoke and crushed out her Camel in the ashtray on the library steps. She reentered the building and went back to work. Groh recorded the time. Eight minutes had past. It was the fourth time that day that Wright had taken a cigarette break while Groh and the other staffers continued working. Wright went out several more times before her shift ended in the evening; Groh recorded each one.

After a month of observing the smoking habits of Wright and two other coworkers, one of whom took six breaks daily to smoke and talk on her cell phone, Groh had all her statistics ready to present to library director Val Chillme.

“Have a seat, Kathleen,” Chillme said, welcoming Groh into her office. “What can I do for you?”

“I came to complain about a few people,” Groh said, nervously picking at a piece of invisible lint on her sleeve.

“What's this about?” asked Chillme.

“Well, I've been observing a few of my coworkers' smoking habits,” she said, pulling her notes from a pocket, “and I don't think it's fair that a handful of people essentially get to work shorter hours because of a dirty, unhealthy habit.”

“I don't understand.”

“The people here who smoke work less time than everyone who doesn't,” Groh said.

“I see you're annoyed, Kathleen, but you're talking about a minute here and a minute there. What's the big deal?”

“It's the principle,” responded Groh. “These people smoke. I play tennis. Would it be all right if I went outside eight times a day and hit a ball up against the side of the building for five minutes? Plenty of people like to drink, but do you see them standing outside knocking back a six-pack every day? Why is taking multiple smoking breaks acceptable while doing the same for other addictions, or habits, or whatever you want to call them is not?”

“And it's actually much more than a minute here and there,” Groh continued, handing Chillme her chart. “I made a record of how many times Phyllis Wright, Jim Dargan, and Felicia Valerio went outside to smoke everyday and how much time they spent on these makeshift breaks while the rest of us, including you, worked.” Chillme leaned forward in her seat to scan the pages.

“Jim and Felicia aren't too bad,” Groh went on, “but Pat might as well stand outside all day and just throw the books in through the window. She spends 30 minutes a day outside smoking. That's two and a half hours a week. That's ten hours a month, 120 hours a year! Divide that by an eight-hour workday, and Phyllis Wright works 15 fewer days a year than I do for the same salary, vacation, and benefits. And that's just not fair. Unless you want to give the rest of us three weeks extra annual vacation?”

“My…well…that does sound severe when you add it up like that,” Chillme said, flustered. After further discussion, Chillme promised to look into the matter. With Groh gone, Chillme collapsed into her seat. She knew Groh would not let it drop. And the woman did have a point. She sat considering her options, fumbling mindlessly with a pen on her desk. Although Chillme had quit a decade ago, all she could think of was, “Boy, I sure could use a cigarette.”