I aim to go away from my desk for 5 minutes 5 times a day just to walk to the kitchen and stand there, because getting up and walking around is good for me, I get sick of staring at a computer, and I need a break. If your receptionist is not doing their job well enough then tell them, don&#x27;t make a stupid rule about smoke breaks just to introduce another rule about bathroom breaks next week and a new one restricting time spent doing something else the week after - make one rule about the behaviour you care about (leaving the phone unattended). Also bear in mind that if your business relies on the receptionist never leaving the desk then yea, the people in charge are idiots.