Employers believe smoking employees cloud company image

Nuffield Proactive Health (Proactive), a UK expert in corporate health and wellness, is calling on employers to help employees quit smoking by encouraging them to lead healthier lifestyles. New research announced today* has found that 63% of employers believe employees who smoke do not present a good company image, yet only 44% believe it is their responsibility to help employees quit smoking if they want to.

The research comes days after NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) announced guidelines advising employers to allow smokers time off work to help them quit the habit. The response from employers was mixed with many questioning the practicalities of allowing workers time out of their day to attend anti-smoking sessions.

Chris Jessop, CEO of Nuffield Proactive Health commented, ìThe recommended guidelines from NICE present an interesting dilemma for businesses. The increased productivity of a healthy workforce cannot be denied, but it is not surprising that employers are questioning how and why they should allow their workforce to take time out to break the habit.î

ìPositive steps can be taken to give support to those who need help, without necessarily sending them offsite for hours at a time. This can include the introduction of motivational on-site wellness programmes. One such initiative that Proactive ran for a leading confectionary company led to a wide range of health benefits including 58% of the smoking population reducing or completely stopping.î

Although 72% of employers do not plan to offer support to employees who wish to give up smoking, 59% agree that turning smoking rooms into facilities to improve employee health and wellbeing is a good idea. 67% of those surveyed expect the ban on smoking in public places to lead to a reduction in the smoking population.

Chris Jessop concluded, ìIt is interesting to see that such a large percentage of employers do not have any plans in place to help employees give up smoking. Employers are uniquely placed to make a real difference to peopleís lives and, in turn, to their own business performance. Changing peopleís lifestyleís is the key challenge and itís here where employers can and should play a more proactive role. The smoking ban presents an opportunity for us all to make healthier decisions and employers must understand they can provide this without losing out.î