Table of Contents
- 1 What is the cost in the workplace when employees smoke?
- 2 Can you ask an employee if they are a smoker?
- 3 What is the number one reason for missed work days among smokers?
- 4 How does tobacco use impact the cost to an employer business?
- 5 How does smoking affect your chances of getting a job?
- 6 Can my employer Ban Me from smoking in the workplace?
- 7 Is it illegal to fire an employee for smoking off duty?
What is the cost in the workplace when employees smoke?
A national survey of over 29,000 workers found tobacco use caused more loss of productivity than alcohol abuse or family emergencies. In sum, between losses in productivity and extra health care costs, an employee who smokes costs a business an average $5,816 per year.
Can you ask an employee if they are a smoker?
You can only ask questions directly related to an applicant’s potential job performance, so while you can’t ask if he smokes, you can ask if he’s even been disciplined for violating a company policy regarding smoking.
How do you address a smoker in the workplace?
Go out of doors and move well away from the building, as smoke travels, and air currents invariably carry the offensive smoke right back inside. Use breath mints after each cigarette. If you are going to be going to a face-to-face meeting, brush your teeth. Smoker’s breath can be very off-putting to non-smokers.
What is the number one reason for missed work days among smokers?
Absenteeism and Lost Productivity Smokers, on average, miss 6.16 days of work per year due to sickness (including smoking related acute and chronic conditions), compared to nonsmokers, who miss 3.86 days of work per year.
How does tobacco use impact the cost to an employer business?
Tobacco use substantially reduces employee productivity in several ways, including by increasing absenteeism. In terms of overall economic impact, the annual additional cost of an employee who smokes cigarettes is approximately $5816, which includes $2056 in added health care costs and $3760 in lost productivity costs.
Can a job not hire you for smoking cigarettes?
In some, it is legal for an employer to ask you whether you are a smoker, and to hire, or not hire you based on that answer. However, 29 states and the District of Columbia do prohibit discrimination based on legal activities outside the workplace, which includes smoking tobacco.
How does smoking affect your chances of getting a job?
The chances of getting a job within a year reduced 24 percent for unemployed job seekers who smoked when compared to non-smokers—even when other factors like substance abuse and criminal history were taken into account. An employee’s smoke breaks cost his or her employer an estimated $3,077 dollars a year in lost productivity.
Can my employer Ban Me from smoking in the workplace?
Still, whether or not smoking indoors or in public has been outlawed in your state, it is generally your prerogative as an employer to ban smoking or even possession of tobacco, e-cigarettes, or any other product from your own workplace with a policy in your employee handbook.
How do you address an employee’s smoking at work?
When addressing an employee’s smoking at work, if your business is in one of those locations that provide off-duty protections for employees, it’s best to address the smell of the smoke on their clothes, hands, and breath than it is to address the habit directly. When doing so, you’ll want to be kind but firm; assertive but non-aggressive.
Is it illegal to fire an employee for smoking off duty?
But, in 29 states and D.C., it’s illegal to terminate or refuse to hire someone as a result of legal off-duty conduct, including smoking. Employers can address foul smells and odors, however, and can even make their workplaces smoke-free as a matter of policy even when state and local laws fail to prevent employees from smoking at work.