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Help your employees quit smoking

brokenpiggybank19151356.jpgAnyone that has tried to quit smoking understands that it is not an easy task. Once you are addicted to smoking, the cravings for nicotine will be almost unbearable. To quit smoking, you need to have a strong desire to do so and you need a good support group to help you along the way. Employers can be the support group that their employees need to quit smoking. Here are some ways you can help your employees quit smoking:

Hold a meeting
Get together with your employees individually and talk about their lifestyle choices. Talk to them about personal problems they may be having that are impacting their jobs and make sure you talk to them about their smoking problem. They may not see smoking as a bad thing, but you need to point out all the people they are harming. Smoking doesn't just cause lung problems for the smoker; it hurts family members, friends, and co-workers. Second-hand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking the cigarette. Second-hand smoke causes over 10,000 deaths each year. Ask your employees to quit smoking, just to save the lives of the people around them if they don't want to quit for themselves.

Establish goals

Create some goals with your smoking employees on how they plan to quit smoking. Some people can quit cold turkey while others have to slowly wean their way off smoking. Make a calendar and write down the date when you want to see your employee completely give up smoking; make sure they see this date and that they can make a commitment to it.

Make it fun
Since it's not easy to quit smoking, try to find some ways to make it fun. Add up the amount of money your employees spend per cigarette. Then each time the employees want to smoke, make them put that money into a big money jar in the office. In return, give them a bottle of water and some chewing gum. Sometimes the urge to smoke is completely driven on just having something in your mouth. Once everyone is able to completely quit smoking, count up all the money that was placed in the money jar. Your employees will probably be shocked to see just how much money they wasted on cigarettes and they will be grateful that you saved them from simply throwing away their money.

Rewards
Offer rewards to your employees that are able to quit smoking once and for all. Give them a small reward when they make it through their first week without a cigarette, then offer another reward when they reach their goal. Small rewards along the way will keep their spirits high and it will re-enforce to them that you really do want to see them succeed at their goal.

Future Plans
For some people the feelings of needing a cigarette may never pass. Some people get addicted to cigarettes because they are a comfort item. Cigarettes became a coping mechanism when they became stressed. Help your employees find something new to use as a coping tool (not food!) It may mean they will go through 4 packs of chewing gum a day, but you need to help them find something to use as a stress reliever. One of the best stress relievers is exercise. Encourage your employees to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Try giving them extra time during their lunch break so they can go and exercise or you can offer 30 minutes in the afternoon for your employees to use to improve their health through exercise. This is a great way to get your employees to quit smoking and get in shape!

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