Some comments over at BeepBeep It’s Me!’s wonderful and very clever blog got me thinking about this, so I’m going to lament a little about a sacred Australian institution that seems to be fading into obscurity.
It’s an institution that has it’s history, it’s place and it’s unspoken ceremony, the entire length and breadth of the land. An institution that has gained a reputation for being the place where food and drink are shared and consumed, where important news and issues are discussed, where couples meet and take the first few tentative steps toward forming a lasting relationship, where problems are resolved and advice is sought and given. In short, an institution of utmost importance and of almost religious proportions. I speak of course, about the sacred and revered institution of the humble Smoko.
The humble smoko takes on many forms, but even after all this time, remains united under a single banner. Were you to witness the advent of smoko at a building site for instance, on the surface it would seem a very different thing to your average office smoko. Don’t be fooled however, because as you look deeper you’ll see the similarities. I’ve only really worked in these environments, so please feel free to add your own experiences and thoughts…:-)
On the one hand, everyone will gather in a large group at the site shed, un-flask and pour from thermoses, or visit the urn and take their chances with the supplied tea (and the urn), swear mightily because some idiot used a cup and didn’t rinse it, sniff the milk, open various lunch boxes and bring forth the sacrament that was packed, fresh from the fridge that very morning before they left for work. It is perfectly ok for the sacrament to be exchanged at this stage too (jam doughnut for vanilla slice, for instance, especially if they’re home made), but it rarely happens because the sacrament is more often than not, a personal thing.
Some however, don’t have someone to make or pack the sacrament for them, but that’s ok. In this instance it will be the job of the apprentice to make the pilgrimage to the shop (or the food van) to purchase the exact sacrament required. On far flung sites, the pilgrimage may include a long drive, so it’s also important that the apprentice learns to take a portion (sometimes a large one) of smoko in the car, which is also perfectly acceptable. Well, it is to the boss anyway and woe betide the apprentice that get’s the order wrong.
In an office however, people will gather in the kitchen, after having sent the juniors out to get the coffee. Sometimes, especially if there’s a birthday or a specific milestone has been reached, cake will be required.
Of course, your tradesman, apprentice and labourer wear slightly different attire to your average office worker, but really, if you can look passed that for a moment, you’ll see that this is where the similarities begin to become plain. Not just because it’s woe betide the junior that get’s the order wrong either, there are a host of other observances to be made.
You see, at this point, discussion groups (from 1 to many, depending on the number people) are formed and the scared documents (the sports sections of various newspapers) are unfurled and the ceremony begins in earnest. In winter, this means the footy. It doesn’t matter where you live, there’s always footy. Aussie Rules, League,
After this it’s time for the smokers to head outside to puff away on as many ciggies as we can because it’s another couple of hours ‘til lunch time. Groups reform at this stage and some non-smokers will be seen to consort with the smokers because they were enjoying the chat. All the while, friendships are being formed and built upon, advice on anything from the bathroom tiles to office or site politics is being sought and discussed and of course, in these situations, occasionally someone is going to meet someone else and form a relationship.
I’m sure most of you would agree that when viewed in this context, the humble smoko is a very important institution indeed. It’s one that helps us get to know each other which in turn can only benefit the team, I think. This is why it grieves me lately, to see people ignoring smoko protocol and taking a coffee back to their desk because there’s no longer time for it, or builders sitting down where they work to have a “quick cuppa”. Where’s the camaraderie in that? How are you supposed to get the important questions answered when you can’t get access to the site or office sage? I tell you, it’s a travesty! If we no longer had time to go to church on Sunday there’d be hue and cry, and no mistake! I ask you, is this not at least as important, if not more so?
And what about the quick quiz at afternoon smoko? Who’s going to answer the questions if there’s no time? I’m happy to report though, that we’re still making time for that, but it’s meant that some have had to work an extra 10 minutes occasionally, sheez! Soon I fear, there’ll be no quiz and the sudoku will have to go begging. Like I said, a travesty!
So I think it’s time we began to speak out and propound the virtues of the humble smoko, and to claim it back as the right of every Australian everywhere, to take 15 or 20 minutes twice a day to have a cuppa an’ a chat, maybe a fag or two and do the quiz and the sudoku, if there’s time. It’d be an un-Australian workplace otherwise!
