Are you responsible for Employee Wellness at your company? Here is why you need to be concerned about employees who smoke:
We’ve all heard the dangers of smoking, but did you know…
* Smokers cost an average of $6,000 more per year in medical expenses than non-smoking employees
* An estimated 480,000 people in the United States will die this year as a result of smoking
* More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking
* In the U.S., tobacco use is responsible for one in five deaths, including more than 40,000 as a result of second hand smoke
Smokers aren’t the only ones suffering
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
* Tobacco use in the U.S. costs an estimated $170 billion a year in direct medical care costs
* Smoking causes $151 billion in lost productivity every year
* Second-hand smoke results in an additional $5.6 billion in lost productivity.
For every death that results from smoking, another 20 people suffer from at least one serious illness related to smoking, including smoking bronchitis, heart disease, stroke, cancer and lung disease. People who suffer from those diseases are not as productive and can cause substantial increases in health insurance premiums. With an estimated 42 million smokers in the U.S., this can have a significant bottom line impact on employers. As an employee wellness professional, this is an opportunity.
Two major ways smokers cost employers more money
The first way smokers cost employers more money is an increased use of health care, which can drive up premiums. Another way is lost productivity. For example;
* If employees are taking four 10-minute smoking breaks each day, they are working one full month less each year than employees who aren’t taking comparable breaks.
* This means each employee who smokes costs an employer roughly $2,000 per year in lost productivity as a result of smoking breaks and being absent an average of two days more per year than their nonsmoking employees.
* Workers’ compensation costs for smokers are more than 12 times the cost for non-smokers.
Here’s how you can help
Quitting isn’t easy, but it is possible when employees want to quit, and employers provide help. CDC studies have shown roughly 70% of smokers want to quit. Plus, employees who quit can significantly improve their health and quality of life. Employers benefit by spending less on tobacco-related illnesses and gaining productivity in the work place. Employee wellness is often understaffed and under resourced. Identifying creative resources is part of your responsibility and Alpha Lifestyle Center can help you.
Most smokers want to quit, and many have tried to quit
CDC studies show that approximately 70% of smokers want to quit, and almost half have attempted to quit. Both of those stats mean it may be easier than employers think to help people quit.
You could start by surveying employees to see how many are interested in quitting. Many companies choose to offer smoking cessation benefits. Employers who provide low- or no-cost access to treatment can greatly increase their employees’ rate of success. As an employer who provides support to help smokers quit, you send a message that you care about your employees and you want them to be healthy.
Take the first step to save lives and reduce costs
Breaking an addiction to nicotine is not easy, but employers are in a great position to help their employees quit. Research shows that companies helping employees quit smoking provides a great return on investment in lower health care and workers’ comp costs, increased productivity and fewer days of missed work.
Do you work in employee wellness? If you want to help employees quit smoking, take a look at Alpha Lifestyle Center’s No More Butts program. There is no cost for employees to be eligible for perks, and we can include company subsidies. Flexible Spending Accounts and Healthcare Spending Accounts can be utilized and all programs are overseen and provided by a Mayo Clinic trained Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist. For more information, check out our video, or call us at (248) 594-1303
