Develop a smoke free workplace

Developing a smoke free workplace is one of the most effective ways to encourage employees to quit smoking.The process of putting a smoke free policy in place is more involved than simply adding a policy to file or book.Putting a smoke free policy in place is also designed to provide assistance to those who want to quit smoking.If you are going to require someone to start following a rule, you also need to put the steps in place to help that person to be able to abide by your new policy.

If you don't currently have a smoke free workplace policy there are some specific things that you should and can do to develop that kind of policy. The first thing that you need to do is to learn about the various state and local laws and regulations that address smoking.There are fair and equal treatment laws that are in place to make sure that you are not discriminating against applicants or current employees on the basis of whether or not they are smokers.Remember the point to developing a smoke free workplace is not necessarily to get rid of all the smokers, but rather to foster an environment where the tools are in place to help smokers quit and live a longer and healthier life.You can get more information about local laws and regulations that address smoking by visiting the American Lung Association website (https://slati.lungusa.org/states.asp) or you can order their published materials by calling (202) 785-3355. You will also want to make sure that you follow state and local smoking ordinances (which may be different from the laws and regulations that exist in your area).

Once you have gotten all of your legal ducks in a row, you want to start involving your employees in the process of creating the policy.Studies show that individuals who participate in the development of policies are more likely to willingly and successfully make the appropriate changes to abide by the policy. Make sure that you involve both smokers and non-smokers in the planning process and that you consider the sentiments of any unions that may have influence over your workers. Employees who will be affected by the new policy but who may not be involved in the planning process should be made aware of the up and coming policy as soon as possible.Before the policy is put into effect, your employees are going to need time to prepare for the change, not to mention they need to have enough time to ask any and all questions that they might have about why the policy is going into effect.They need time to be able to understand why you are changing the policy and how those changes are going to affect them.

You should be actively promoting smoking cessation assistance both before and after you implement your smoke free workplace policy.Chances are that you will find that there are many people who want to quit smoking but who just aren't sure how to go about it. Be aggressive about your non-smoking campaign so that you can enable your employees to quit smoking as soon as possible. Offer incentives to employees who are able to quit smoking.Even adults are motivated by rewards systems. Don't be too stingy with your rewards either.Keep in mind that you will be cutting company health care costs by reducing the number of smokers you have employed.Use that money to help to motivate.Some examples of helpful incentives include gum for those who replace smoking with gum chewing, cash incentives, recognition in the company newsletter for how many days they have been smoke free, etc.