Tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths per year. We’ve known for years that tobacco use has tremendous health effects damaging nearly every organ in the body, and increasing the risk of many cancer types. It is estimated that smokers have a decreased life expectancy of 10 years when compared to non-smokers. And now with COVID-19, employees are even more aware of immediate severe illness risk linked to poor health1. Implementing an effective tobacco-free workplace can help employees quit, leading to financial and productivity gains in the workplace and, most importantly, improve employee health2,3.

In a tobacco-free workplace, everybody wins.

Do you need ideas for creating a tobacco-free policy at your workplace? Or need support to take your tobacco-free policy to the next level? Establishing a tobacco-free environment in the workplace with a well-defined policy is essential to create a safer and healthier workplace. A well-written tobacco-free policy can save lives, improve productivity, and create financial gains for organizations. Tobacco use in the workplace often leads to a heavy financial burden to organizations through increased medical costs, loss of productivity from tobacco-related illnesses, and higher insurance premiums. Take a look at the following statistics:

Employers can save almost $6,000 per year for every employee who quits smoking4.
Smokers take an average of 2-4 more sick days per year than non-smokers5.
Costs associated with loss in productivity account for approximately $4,430 in smokers per year rather than $2,623 in non-smokers5.

Everyone benefits from a tobacco-free workplace:

Benefits to Employers

A healthier environment
Annual health-care costs for employee health premiums are lower
Increased employee productivity and decreased employee sick time
Reduced risk of accidents and fire damage
Reduced cleaning and maintenance costs
Reduced legal risk from nonsmoking workers with adverse health effects

Benefits to Employees

Reduced health risk from tobacco use
Smoke-free workplaces influence smokers to quit smoking
The risk of secondhand smoke is eliminated for non-smokers
Improved morale
Increased productivity and strengthened job security
Reduction of stress and improved mental health benefits

Creating a Tobacco-Free Workplace

While tobacco use varies by the workers industry type, and occupation, about 30% of employees smoke when there no policy restricting tobacco use. Once a tobacco-free policy is initiated, that percentage decreases to 24% and even a low as 16% with a well-written policy6.

Approximately half of those who smoke would like to quit smoking, and a well-written tobacco-free policy can kick start that effort and significantly impact many employees' lives. We understand that each organization has specific policy needs, restrictions, and requirements, and have designed an easy-to-use kit to get you started. Our kit includes interactive worksheets to help organizations develop a clear and well-organized policy. To download our FREE Tobacco-Free Policy Kit, click here.

To learn more about tobacco control practices required in your state, view this interactive map developed by the Tobacco Control Network.

Resources

Supporting a Tobacco-Free Workplace