A report by Gallup on smoking shares how the habit has reached a near record-low in 2022. Only 16% of US adults smoked recently, unlike between 1944 and 1974 when more than 40% of US adults were smoking. Despite the lower usage of cigarettes, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the country; as many as 480,000 Americans die from smoking-related causes per year, putting workers who smoke at high health risk.
As noted in our post on “7 Ways An Aging Workforce Will Affect Human Resources”, even younger staff members may have chronic well-being issues that stem from bad habits like smoking. These issues can cost companies more in terms of healthcare and overall productivity, so businesses must encourage healthier lifestyles in their employees. By investing in employee wellness programs, companies can grow greater returns. If your company is interested in helping smoker employees quit smoking, here are four ways businesses can help employees in the process:
Establish tobacco-free policies
To promote a culture of better health, offices can establish tobacco-free policies. Most employees spend one-fourth of their day at work, so they often take smoke breaks in between those hours to get their fix. By establishing tobacco-free workplace policies, you can indirectly encourage employees to move away from cigarettes and curb the number of unscheduled smoke breaks. These policies also bring several other benefits: reduced trash from cigarette butts and ash, a smoke-free work environment, and decreased health risks from second-hand smoking.
Discuss smoking alternatives with them
When smokers stop using cigarettes, they tend to face withdrawal symptoms that can affect their day-to-day activities — hindering their journey to quit. Fortunately, the market now offers many alternatives that smokers can use to stop using nicotine slowly. Prilla’s selection of ON! nicotine pouches showcase how the latest quitting products work. These pouches come in different flavors and nicotine levels, allowing users to choose pouches that match their preferences so that they can use less nicotine daily. Aside from nicotine pouches, there are also other products, such as nicotine gum from Nicorette or nicotine patches from Quit4, which can help curb nicotine cravings. Employers can encourage employees to try these smoking alternatives by hosting seminars or talks on what they can use.
Prepare support tools
On top of discussing smoking alternatives, employers should provide concrete support tools to help smokers quit. The process of quitting is often accompanied by unpleasant side effects such as depression, weight gain, and increased stress, to name a few. To help them overcome these problems, employers can arrange other support services such as mental health counseling, exercise programs, and stress management coaching. Investing in these programs decreases the likelihood of quitting and ensures employees — whether smokers or not — remain happy and productive at work.
Offer quit-smoking incentives
Considering how much effort it takes to quit, offering incentives such as cash rewards can give employees the motivation they need. A study on financial incentives by Nicotine and Tobacco Research found that these incentives increased the use of smoking cessation medication and the general quitting motivation of workers. One recommended method of distributing cash incentives is to do so incrementally. In the study above, employees who joined the smoking cessation program were given cash after three, six, and twelve months, with those who could quit for more than a year receiving as much as €200 (US $200). Employees can be motivated to stop smoking successfully by building up the rewards over time.