Smoking & Workplace Productivity

Smoking & Workplace Productivity Increasing Productivity by offering workplace smoking cessation programs This report explores the cost that smoking places on workplace productivity and the benefits of offering employees smoking cessation programs and what a smoking cessation program with Empowerment For Life involves

SMOKING AND WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY Table of Contents Introduction... 2 Snap Shot of How You Gain By Providing a Workplace Smoking Cessation Program... 3 The cost of employees who smoke... 3 Second-hand Smoke (SHS) the cost... 4 Providing a workplace smoking cessation program supports an organisations legal OH&S requirements... 4 Smoking prevalence per occupational group... 4 About The Program... 5 Comparison to Other Methods of Smoking Cessation... 6 How You Benefit... 6 My Commitment to You... 8 References... 9 1

Introduction Hello. My name is Khadine Aharon and I am the Principal of EMPOWERMENT FOR LIFE. I am a qualified social worker. I have worked in the natural therapies industry for 10 years and worked in the community sector for twelve years where I have gained significant experience in contributing to the life improvement of my clients. I am passionate about supporting people to improve their health and to enrich and gain control in their own lives. Part of my role as a quit smoking specialist is primarily to provide workplace smoking cessation programs which also leads to helping people make lasting change in many areas of their lives. 23% of Australia s population still currently smoke. But what does this mean for your organisation? Well imagine if your organisation could save $5000 per smoking employee a year, in lost productivity alone? Imagine if these employees added five weeks of extra productivity per year? What would that mean for your organisation in financial terms? The estimated cost of smoking to business in Australia in 1998-99 totalled $1 billion through absenteeism and premature loss of skilled employees 1. How much are smoking employees costing you? By introducing a workplace smoking cessation plan you can increase workplace productivity easily and affordably. If you already offer a Smoking Cessation Program it would be worth you comparing the success rate of your current program with ours. The program we deliver has a 95% success rate after 1 session and is backed up with a lifetime guarantee This report will explain the cost of employees who smoke and what you can do to reduce this 2

Snap Shot of How You Gain By Providing a Workplace Smoking Cessation Program Increased productivity Unbroken work patterns and meetings as a result of no need to duck out for a smoke Higher return on investment Enhanced workplace morale Improved workplace culture Heightened external image Improved health and well-being of employees Reduced fire risk Reduce the possibility of any legal action taken against the organisation for secondary smoke inhalation The cost of employees who smoke Research estimates that each smoker employed costs an organisation a minimum of $5000 per year. There are a number of contributing factors to this figure and include: Decreased productivity: Smokers spend on average 65 minutes of each working day taking smoking breaks. Over a 48 week period this exceeds more than 210 hours per year and more than 5 weeks of extra leave annually 2. Increased absenteeism: Research estimates that smokers take an extra 7.7 sick days per year 3. Increased accidents and injuries: According to the Tobacco Control Branch smokers have 30% more industrial accidents and 40% more occupational injuries than nonsmokers 4. Early retirement: 50% of all smokers will die from smoking related illnesses 5. Smokers on average live 14 years less than non-smokers and are more likely to retire early due to illness. 3

Mental wellbeing: Nicotine in a stimulant which increases anxiety and decreases concentration 6. (mental health foundation) Increased cleaning and maintenance costs: Due to additional cleaning waste and providing smoking areas Second-hand Smoke (SHS) the cost People who are exposed to SHS or passive smoke are at a greater risk of asthma attacks, lung cancer, heart disease, sore throats, blocked sinuses and chronic cough 7. Reducing exposure to SHS in the workplace will benefit your organisation by maintaining the health of non-smoking employees and avoiding litigation due to exposure to SHS 7 Providing a workplace smoking cessation program supports an organisations legal OH&S requirements Providing a workplace smoking cessation program assists an organisation to meet employer legal requirements of the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 and the NSW Smoke-free Environment Act 2000 7 Smoking prevalence per occupational group OCCUPATIONAL GROUP PERCENTAGE OF WORKERS WHO SMOKE Upper white 14.0 Lower white 23.0 Upper blue 28.0 Lower blue 35.0 Not in paid work 21.0 Source: Tobacco in Australia 8 4

About The Program The Quit Cigarettes in 60 Minutes program utilised by EMPOWERMENT FOR LIFE has a 95% success rate with one session and is backed up with a lifetime guarantee. The program is totally drug free so there are none of the unpleasant side effects associated with pharmaceutical quit smoking options. And unlike other quit smoking alternatives the results are immediate. 95% of people leave as a non-smoker. The other 5% need a second session which is included in the program. It is important to note for someone to quit, they must be committed to do so. Our session involves a fun in-depth interview to uncover the client s reasons and triggers for smoking on a deep level. Advanced hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro-linguisticprogramming) techniques are then tailored to the individuals needs for maximum results. At the end of the session, clients are provided a range of supports to continue being a non-smoker for life. After the session clients are able to ring or email EMPOWERMENT FOR LIFE if they have any questions or need further support in remaining a non-smoker After the session participants generally feel relaxed, in control, refreshed, happy and as if a weight has been taken off their shoulders Implementing the program within the workplace A program within the workplace would include an interactive, fun information session about the quit smoking program offered. These sessions generally are attended by employees who are smokers and other employees who are interested in finding out about the program. Individual appointments can be scheduled on or off premises depending on what is convenient for your organisation and whether you have a quiet space available. Participants are provided contact details for EMPOWERMENT FOR LIFE should they require ongoing support Workplace wellness studies strongly indicate that workplace smoking cessation programs are most effective when offered on a regular basis to cover new employees, late adopters and other conservative personnel. 5

Workplace smoking cessation programs are also more successful when participants contribute towards the cost of their program. When a smoker contributes to the cost of their quit smoking program it reinforces their own personal commitment that they are committed to quit smoking. The standard commitment is 50% of the cost by the smoker. Comparison to Other Methods of Smoking Cessation The quit cigarettes in 60 minutes program has a superior success rate to other quit smoking methods SMOKING CESSATION METHOD Nicotine replacement medications: Patches Gum Other pharmaceutical medications: Zyban Champix SUCCESS RATE 14% 5 10% 5 15% 9 23% 10 Hypnotherapists 40% 11 Laser Acupuncture 55% 11 Individuals will power 6% 12 Quit Smoking in 60 Minutes 95% 13 Latest research suggests that long-term, nicotine replacement patches are only as successful as willpower alone 5 How You Benefit What is your organisations greatest asset? It s common for businesses to invest money and time on the maintenance of equipment such as computers. For computers to be efficient in the workplace they need to be maintained and given antivirus software so they don t break down and will be functioning at optimal levels for as long as possible. There is less focus though on investing money and time on an organisations greatest 6

asset your employees. Research shows that there are great financial benefits for health and wellbeing promotion in the workplace. The programs with the highest return on investment are quit smoking programs. Just some benefits to you offering workplace smoking cessation programs include: Increased productivity When taking into consideration the equivalent of weeks of time lost through smoking breaks, increased sick days and elevated anxiety and stress, productivity is dramatically increased. Halpern discovered that the productivity of former smokers increased by 19% 15 Return on investment (ROI) With employed smokers costing an organisation $5000 dollars or more per year the ROI for the program per person is typically 1500% for just the first year of your worker being a non-smoker. What would this amount to for each person in your organisation? Enhanced workplace morale People who have quit smoking gain a greater sense of control over their lives. When an employee quits cigarettes through a workplace smoking cessation program, they have greater job satisfaction and feel happier within their workplace. As such they are more likely to remain with the Company. Improved workplace culture Workplace culture is improved on a variety of levels when employees quit smoking in your organisation. Non-smokers won t be feeling resentful of the smokers who have all their extra breaks. Your new non-smokers won t have to feel like a social outcast because of their habit or have to sneak out for a cigarette. Your employees who choose to quit at the same time usually have a greater sense of camaraderie. These factors combined increase workplace teamwork and harmony Heightened external image Employees smoking outside a workplace does not look professional nor do cigarette butts. Organisations are seen as socially responsible when they offer workplace health 7

and wellness programs. People want to work in organisations that are seen to be taking care of their employees Reduced injuries and workplace accidents Reduced injuries and workplace accidents will reduce Workcover Claims and lost productivity due to injuries My Commitment to You I am totally committed to working with you to provide an in-house smoking cessation program and making the process simple. I am passionate about providing your smoking employees all the therapeutic tools, practical suggestions and resources they need to quit smoking for life. And as per the lifetime guarantee, I will provide individuals with backup support and another session if required If you are curious about working with me to offer smoking cessation programs in your workplace, may I invite you to call Khadine on 1300 037 778 now? 8

References 1. The Cancer Council Queensland and Queensland Health. 2006. Smokefree Policy Guidelines for Workplaces. Brisbane: The Cancer Council Queensland 2. Simon Chapman. 2010. Time to end smoking break exceptionalism. SMH January 12, 2010 86 3. Lundborg, P. 2007. Does smoking increase sick leave? Evidence using register data on Swedish workers. Tobacco Control. 2007;16:114-118 4. Tobacco Control Branch. 2009. Supporting smoke-free workplaces a policy implementation guide. Department of Health Tobacco Control Branch 5. I Can Quit. Health Dangers of Smoking. I Can Quit. http://www.icanquit.com.au/health/your-health/health-dangers-of-smoking 6. Mental health foundation. Smoking and Mental Health. http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/s/smoking/ 7. Cancer Council NSW. Going smoke-free. Recommendations for the workplace. Cancer Council NSW. http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp- content/uploads/2011/10/workplace-going-smoke-free-recommendations-12-02-version-updated-november-2011-8-november-2011.pdf 8. Scollo, MM and Winstanley, MH [editors]. 2008. Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues. Third Edition. Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria 9. 121doc. 2012. Zyban Side Effects and More. 121doc. http://www.121doc.co.uk/zyban.html 10. NPS. 2012. Varenicline (Champix) for smoking cessation. NPS 1.8.2011 http://www.nps.org.au/health_professionals/publications/nps_radar/2011/april_20 11/varenicline 11. Amy Norton. 2012. Want to quit smoking? Try acupuncture or hypnosis. Reuters Health May 6 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/07/us-smokingacupuncture-idusbre84601x20120507 2012 12. Bartley, Rachel. 2012. Smoke patches 'no more success than cold turkey'. The Age. January 11 2012. http://www.theage.com.au/national/smoke-patches-nomore-success-than-cold-turkey-20120110-1ptlm.html#ixzz1lnk03q8q 13. QC Seminars. Quit Smoking in 60 Minutes report 14. Halpern et al Tob Control2001;10:233-238 doi:10.1136/tc.10.3.233 9