Reasons why you should help employees to quit smoking

As an employer, it is a given that you want good things for your employees.But sometimes you need to see how your bottom line can be improved by helping out your employees.There are plenty of reasons why, even as a business person, you should help your employees to quit smoking.By getting your employees to quit smoking you can actually save your business money! According to a recent study, each adult employee that you have who smokes is costing you $1,760 in lost production and $1,623 in extra medical expenses. Now, what you may have thought was a personal issue, had turned into a matter that has some real financial consequences.By helping your employees to quit smoking you will see a return on your investment far greater than these medical expenses.An employee who is able to kick their habit is more likely to show increases productivity and loyalty to your business.Everyone wins!

Every situation is different.The motivation for quitting may be different from person to person and business to business.For example, some businesses put a no-smoking policy in place at the onset.Having a smoking cessation program allows smoker employees to follow this policy.Instead of just firing or refusing to hire individuals who smoke, you can use your policy to help people to stop smoking.Imagine how much more motivated an employee would be to quit smoking if it meant the difference between getting and keeping their job.In the long run it can definitely be more effective to offer quitting services upfront.

Smoking causes a good number and variety if health problems.As an employer you are affected by these health issues in the form of days missed from work, lost hours of work due to doctor's visits and sick days, etc.When you offer tobacco cessation treatment to your employees it is actually the single most cost effective health insurance benefit you can give them.It has been proven through numerous studies that smokers are about 2 to 3 times more likely, to quit smoking when they have help versus trying to do it on their own.It has also been proven that quitting smoking also can help prevent numerous serious and what could be very costly health problems, including heart disease, stroke, multiple cancers, respiratory diseases, pre-term labor and low birth-weight.

Reducing the number of employees who smoke can benefit your business by improving employee health, boosting employee morale, increasing productivity and decreasing absenteeism. The benefit of decreased absenteeism also includes those who call in sick to take care of a sick child because it has been proven through numerous studies that children who are not exposed to second hand smoke or whose parents are non smokers actually have fewer colds, coughs and ear infections.Reducing the number of employees who smoke will also benefit your business by drastically reducing health care costs because your employees will not need to have as many doctors' visits therefore reducing the number and amount of insurance claims.Another insurance benefit is that you can benefit from lower fire insurance costs when you have a policy in place that prevents people from smoking inside of your office building.Helping your employees to quit smoking can also have the benefit of improving the public image of your business.This not only has an effect on potential customers, but also on the future employees who do not smoke and want to work on a smoke free environment.