Many factors can have a negative influence on workplace productivity: employee illnesses, a reliance on social media, smartphone distractions and office gossip can all take away from the amount of work that gets completed on a given day. But have you ever thought about the amount of hours lost per month by employees who regularly have cigarette breaks? Or what about the countless sick days taken by staff members whose health is compromised because of their smoking habits?
The facts are undeniable - smoking costs employers heaps of money every single year in lost productivity.
Cigarette Breaks - often off the clock
Employees sneaking away for a cheeky cigarette break often do so on company time, popping away for ten minutes (or longer) here and there throughout the day. These periods of time can really add up over the course of a day/ week/ month and year. The result? Employers end up paying huge chunks of salary funds for hours during which employees were standing outside and smoking, rather than working efficiently at their desks. Not only is this a drain on your monetary resources, it is also not fair to your non-smoking employees. After all, they might like an additional 20 or 30 minutes of down time per day, but without the crutch of a smoking habit they are denied the same breaks that their colleagues feel entitled to on a semi-hourly basis.
Still not convinced that this is a major problem for your company’s bottom line? It has been estimated that those "quick" cigarette breaks add up to over one week of work each year. This amounts to offering your smoking employees a free week of vacation in addition to their existing allotment. In 2014, The Guardian reported on a study conducted by the British Heart Foundation. They found that "smoking breaks cost employers £1,815 a year for each full-time member of staff who lights up during working hours," amounting to a shocking 8.4 billion pounds per year across the United Kingdom!
Sick Days - lost hours that come out of your company’s bottom line
In addition to these lost "smoking break” hours, a recent study of more than 14,000 Swedish workers published by Peter Lundborg from the Free University of Amsterdam found that smokers take, on average, an additional 11 sick days per annum. This is due to the fact that smokers are far more likely to suffer from the common cold, flu symptoms, persistent coughing, depression, allergic reactions and myriad other illnesses brought on by a weakened immune system.
What can you do as an employer?
As an employer and a trusted source of information, you can educate and encourage your team members to give up smoking for good. Consider hosting a fun contest that rewards your staff for cutting down on the ciggies (similar incentives can be created for employees with different bad habits they want to quell). You can also provide discounts and educational information about smoking cessation products, such as e-cigarettes, nicotine patches and/ or nicotine gum.
While you may balk at the idea of paying for your employees e-cigarettes, consider this: it is a small upfront investment, and you will be swiftly repaid by staff working the full hours that you are paying for!
SMOKO is a premium e-cigarette company selling high quality liquids that are made in the UK and e-cigarette accessories. SMOKO work with businesses to help reduce the impact smoking and cigarette breaks have on a workplace.
The facts are undeniable - smoking costs employers heaps of money every single year in lost productivity.
Cigarette Breaks - often off the clock
Employees sneaking away for a cheeky cigarette break often do so on company time, popping away for ten minutes (or longer) here and there throughout the day. These periods of time can really add up over the course of a day/ week/ month and year. The result? Employers end up paying huge chunks of salary funds for hours during which employees were standing outside and smoking, rather than working efficiently at their desks. Not only is this a drain on your monetary resources, it is also not fair to your non-smoking employees. After all, they might like an additional 20 or 30 minutes of down time per day, but without the crutch of a smoking habit they are denied the same breaks that their colleagues feel entitled to on a semi-hourly basis.
Still not convinced that this is a major problem for your company’s bottom line? It has been estimated that those "quick" cigarette breaks add up to over one week of work each year. This amounts to offering your smoking employees a free week of vacation in addition to their existing allotment. In 2014, The Guardian reported on a study conducted by the British Heart Foundation. They found that "smoking breaks cost employers £1,815 a year for each full-time member of staff who lights up during working hours," amounting to a shocking 8.4 billion pounds per year across the United Kingdom!
Sick Days - lost hours that come out of your company’s bottom line
In addition to these lost "smoking break” hours, a recent study of more than 14,000 Swedish workers published by Peter Lundborg from the Free University of Amsterdam found that smokers take, on average, an additional 11 sick days per annum. This is due to the fact that smokers are far more likely to suffer from the common cold, flu symptoms, persistent coughing, depression, allergic reactions and myriad other illnesses brought on by a weakened immune system.
What can you do as an employer?
As an employer and a trusted source of information, you can educate and encourage your team members to give up smoking for good. Consider hosting a fun contest that rewards your staff for cutting down on the ciggies (similar incentives can be created for employees with different bad habits they want to quell). You can also provide discounts and educational information about smoking cessation products, such as e-cigarettes, nicotine patches and/ or nicotine gum.
While you may balk at the idea of paying for your employees e-cigarettes, consider this: it is a small upfront investment, and you will be swiftly repaid by staff working the full hours that you are paying for!
SMOKO is a premium e-cigarette company selling high quality liquids that are made in the UK and e-cigarette accessories. SMOKO work with businesses to help reduce the impact smoking and cigarette breaks have on a workplace.