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Create and promote a smoke-free workplace
Posted: Oct 28, 2016
Smoking costs individuals and organizations in various ways. Organizations could benefit monetarily by investing in various initiatives and awareness campaigns to help employees quit smoking. Such measures can help organizations increase productivity.
Smoking has many known adverse effects on health. However, not many active initiatives are seen at workplaces to promote and create smoke-free workplaces. Creating and promoting smoke-free workplaces can benefit organizations directly.According to a study in the UK, current smokers had a 33% increase in risk of absenteeism as compared to non smokers. Additionally, smokers were absent for 2.74 more dayson average compared with non-smokers.To understand this in monetary terms, the cost of absenteeism due to smoking in the UK was estimated to be £1.4 billion in 2011 (Stephen F. Weng, 2012).
Smoking and its ill effects can be prevented at workplaces without interfering with the individual privacy of employees. To minimize cigarette litter, simple solutions such as outside cigarette bins can be put into place.Many individuals who are smokers may also require external assistance in quitting smoking such as therapy or support from other employees. Smoking can also passively affect the health of other employees; hence the organization could take a stern view of employees who smoke within the premises, even in outdoor areas. The following is a list of solutions organizations could use to create a smoke free workplace.
Awareness
Organizations could hire motivational speakers and experts to help individuals quit smoking. Most smokers are aware that smoking can cause major illnesses such as lung cancer, among other things, hence it is possible that even smokers would respond positively to such initiatives.
Initiatives
Special occasions such as ‘No Smoking Day’ could be organized to provide incentives for employees to quit. Smokers make many attempts to quit before they finally manage it. Such attempts can be supported and encouraged by others through special initiatives. Such initiatives are organized by many companies around the world and can also promote a sense of unity among employees for a good cause.
Supplies
Organizations and individuals require simple solutions to tackle the possible menace of ill-effects of smoking on employees. Some such supplies could include wall mounted outdoor rubbish bins,which would make it easy for smokers to dispose of cigarette butts safely. Such supplies can not only prevent rubbish spreading around the premises but also increase safety from fire hazards. Similarly, to prevent smoking from affecting non-smokers, smokers could be provided with outdoor smoking shelters made up of glass, which are easy to install at a short distance from the main entrance or outdoor eating areas.
Deaths and illnesses due to smoking can be preventable. Additionally, absenteeism affects employees in their career paths as well organizations in their productivity goals. It is important for organizations and individuals to take advantage of awareness and initiatives organized by the NHS and other similar credible organizations. Similarly, businesses could also install effective solutions to prevent smoking from becoming a workplace hazard for others. One company which supplies a wide range of outdoor litter bins, smoking shelters and other workplace supplies is AJ Products.
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