Chatters told to clock out
Benefit workers at Carlisle City Council were told the "working ethos" needed to change, with the workplace not to be treated as a "day-to-day holiday camp". Chatting about weather, holidays and babies, together with personal internet browsing and social networking were all out of bounds, team leaders explained.
Their e-mail read: "Smokers are required to clock out when they want a cigarette. Surely it is not unreasonable to expect you to clock out if you wish to have a ten-minute conversation with a colleague about the weather?"