Wellness Programs : Use of tobacco Bans Get Mixed Review.
At the end of the day, is it worthwhile to ban use of tobacco on the premises at your corporation?
It depends on the steps you take to support workforce attempting to kick the habit, finds a recent study . The Journal of Tobacco Policy and Research found that smokers do, in fact take more sick days than their non-use of tobacco coworkers.
And even if the smoker is in relatively good overall health (i.e., isn’t obese, does not have chronic health conditions), he or she’s still likely to have higher health care costs than a comparable non-smoker over the last three years.
How does a tobacco use ban fit into the cost equation? If the smoker quits, health costs even out.
But when the individuals only refrains from smoking on the job – but continues puffing away at home – the company sees little to no medical cost decrease. The study found similar patterns for absenteeism.
Bottom line – A worksite smoking ban in combo with a smoking cessation program gets results. A smoking ban alone normally doesn’t.
