I have a coworker who is probably in his mid to late 50s, maybe early 60s… Not entirely sure.
Anyway, he always has little comments about me taking my 30 minute break. (Our job allows us 1 hr lunch and two 15 minute breaks, they don't care when or how we take them… We can even take all of them together)
So he always says stuff about me taking all of my breaks like I am allowed to. Sometimes I only take a 30 minute lunch with my two 15 minute breaks, sometimes I take the whole hour. He always mention how he doesn't “take breaks” because he doesnt “need/want to”. Cool, bro. If you don't want to take your breaks then don't, but I do.
The biggest thing is that he actually does take his breaks, but when he takes his breaks he doesn't punch them into his work order tracker. And 9/10 times he is smoking cigarettes(upwards of 10 times a day, has to go outside to smoke) or talking to our foreman (for upwards of 30 minutes) so he just feels like it isn't a break because he is hanging with the boss.
I just don't understand why most of the older workers feel like they are doing better work in the eyes of the company when in reality they are the ones actually stealing more time, being less efficient, etc.
I'm only 29, he is at least mid 50s, and I make $35 an hour and I know he only makes $28 an hour. He mentions our pay discrepancy to me quite often as well… I just say our work is different and leave it at that. Somehow he just doesn't see how my productivity gives me a higher wage. 🤷