Researchers surveyed 1,000 smokers and found that on average they took about three 10-minute smoke breaks per day.
Research group Benenden Healthcare Society said this not only causes people to miss out on work but it also causes a riff between smokers and non-smokers.
The group said non-smokers feel that smokers are getting an unfair advantage because they get a break from the work day. This might be more obvious in more extreme cases. The group said some smokers too as many as seven breaks during the day.
Jakki Stubbington of Benenden Healthcare said, "Non-smokers feel that smokers get away with avoiding work, and this report will only confirm their suspicions. Cigarette breaks are a positive thing for non-smokers as they minimize the impact of passive smoking in their working environment."
Simon Clark of Forest smokers group defended the cigarette breaks saying that those who do not smoke can also waist time by sending personal e-mails or making a person phone call.
He added that if smokers start to abuse the breaks they are allowed than it is a sign of poor management.
He said, "Most of us no longer work on a conveyor belt and we all work in different ways."
