Question

While most employers do not penalize their employees when they take a restroom break, coffee break, or smoking break, there are some employers that will require you "punch out" for these breaks and not have to pay you for this time. In the Ethics Today - Is It Fair to Dock Employees' Pay for Bathroom Breaks? (textbook page 644), this topic is discussed. At the conclusion of this article, an ethical issue is raised: Should workers have to face the choice of taking a bathroom break or getting paid? A Critical Thinking issue is also listed for discussion: Consider a company whose employees include both smokers and nonsmokers. The smokers take numerous paid smoking breaks, while the nonsmokers do not. Is there an ethical issue here? Why or why not? Read through this article on page 644 and consider what your thoughts/opinions are on these issues that were discussed​

Answer 1

Ethics is moral principle that govern a person's behaviour and activity. Over here there are two cases, one is taking break for washroom and the other one is taking breaks for smoking. Both the thing are not comparable because charging some one for going for washroom is cruel and inhuman. It does not take into the considereation of the standard of labour. it is not under a person's hand to control such nature call.

On the other hand smoking is a person's choice. And an organization can have principles were they do not support smoking hence they give them paid breaks for smoking. Infact in this case the labour should be thankful that atleast paise leaves are allowed for him where he can go out and smoke.