Essay on Negative Consequences of Employees Smoking in the Workplace

Although it remains a large portion of the U.S’ economy, tobacco smoking can lead to a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the user. The effects of smoking tobacco not only affect the user but surrounding people as well: permanently destroying their lungs and children, increasing the chances of diseases and of cancer.

Though previously smoking was conventional in workplaces, times has revolutionized; people became progressively conscious of the negative influence of smoking on health. The employees who had never smoked became outspoken regarding the stench of smoke and the prospective negative effects of second-hand smoke on their well-being. (Heathfield, S., 2016)

Smokers face many challenges in the modern world, and one of the biggest happens in the workplace. Many large – and small – employers have taken a strict zero-tolerance approach to smoking in the workplace, and that can literally leave smokers with no place to

Through the smoking cessation program 35% of smokers have quit and another 10% have begun the process of quitting. This results in less work time lost due to smoke breaks and less days of work missed due to smoking related illnesses. To more clearly illustrate this point we can look at the savings associated with an employee who is making $32,000 a year. For every day this employee misses work we pay them approximately $123.07 this does not include the lost productivity and having to spread those in attendance that day further to cover the absent employees duties. Furthermore our insurance provider offers the company a 10% incentive for every employee who certifies as a nonsmoker, which represents an average savings of $50 per non-smoker. So if we estimate a smoker missing 3 days of work due to smoking related illnesses and add that to the additional cost of insurance premiums that means the company is missing an opportunity to save approximately $969.21 per year, per employee by not trying to intervene and help them to quit. These savings can also be seen with the weight loss and healthy lifestyle

Now, more than ever, more and more people are beginning to look at tobacco use as a major public health concern. It is nineteen ninety nine, and the number of smokers is rising while the average age of smoking initiation decreases. There are those that believe using tobacco of any type should be illegal, or at least restricted. Others believe it is up to the person to choose whether to use tobacco products or not, however most of these people believe tobacco companies should warn their customers of their products harmful affects.

Specifically, implementation of rules is on the overall safety of each and every person within the workplace. Unfortunately, there will be people who feel triumphant and those who feel discriminated against and defeated. The manufacturers, distributors, and retailers who sell tobacco and now the e-cigarette that creates a vapor for the customer, feel defeated as they and the customers continue to receive push-back from those who do not smoke. Allowing the use of e-cigarettes in the workplace creates a double edge knife for the employer. In defense of the e-cigarette user production will not diminish, and the person will be more enjoyable to be around, since they are able to receive their nicotine addiction. On the other hand, for the worker who does not smoke, while there is still evidence Trtchounian, Williams & Talbot (2010) the vapors released from the e-cigarette and the smoke exhaled by the smoker, possess a health risk to others purely on the chemicals used within the e-cigarette. Moreover, further findings indicate the non-cancer exposure of nicotine and propylene glycol still exceed the minimum of 1.0 parts, which creates a health risk for anyone who inhales the smoke exhaled from another person (Offermann, Francis (Bud), 2014). Any time a person’s actions in the workplace can possibly bring pain and

Recently, the company I work for had to renew its insurance policy. To our surprise, our premiums increased by 60%. And, when we began shopping around, we learned no other company would give us any better of a deal. Doing some research on the matter, I discovered our company wasn 't alone in this. Most other companies were also experiencing a drastic increase in their premiums. And, some were even dropping their insurance just so their employees could take the state sponsored insurance instead. At the pace this trend is continuing, most Americans will find themselves without adequate medical insurance and, since they probably won 't be able to pay the bills out of pocket, our health care industry will suffer. After much thought and study, I 've concluded the best solution to the problem is banning tobacco use in the United States. I 'm not just talking about banning smoking in public. I am referring to making it illegal to sell tobacco products in this country and treating those who sell cigarettes as criminals. I know this isn 't going to be popular among the estimated 26% of Americans who currently smoke cigarettes. But, that doesn 't mean it isn 't the right decision. Let 's look at the facts. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans spend roughly $75.5 billion in health care costs directly related to people who smoke. That is in addition to nearly $100 billion in lost productivity due to smoking related illnesses and deaths. In 1997,

According to the Healthy People 2020, each year, approximately 480,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses. Further, more than 16 million Americans suffer from at least one disease caused by smoking. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). The effect of cigarette smoking is alarming. Use of tobacco in the form of smoking is not only dangerous to the one who is smoking but also to a non-smoker. Tobacco harms a human physically and mentally. Major cause of lung cancer is smoking. It is important to prevent the use of tobacco because it is the largest preventable cause of diseases and death in the United States. According to Chin, Hong, Gillen, Bates and Okechukwu (2012) Blue-collar workers smoke at higher rates than white-collar workers and

In my opinion, employers can implement the rules and requirements for their employees, as long as they do not go against the law in the current state or the country. Charging employees more for health insurance, or requiring to quit smoking, both seem pretty reasonable strategies to me. A lot of people value financial stability. So, the fear to be fired, or pay a lot more for medical insurance, can encourage people to stop smoking and actually benefit their own life and increase the company’s productivity. However, the new rules and regulations should be implemented step by step. In my opinion, Weyco’s approach was very smart. Fifteen months was a reasonable amount of time to quit smoking. Company did not just throw this policy to its employees, but actually did everything possible to help them save their jobs.

Smoking is injurious to health and a preventable cause of premature death. In the U.S.; it is estimated that one in each five adults smoke currently and about 480,000 people die prematurely from diseases caused by smoking or secondhand smoke exposure. (CDC tobacco use). The economic burden of tobacco use is also significant. About $100 billion per year is spent in medical expenses and another $100 billion per year in lost productivity. There is no safe level of smoking

Cigarettes are the most important substance to address in the United States because they are not only extremely addictive, but they have the potential to cause a variety of serious health conditions and affect individuals who are close to and care for the user. Tobacco use poses a serious health threat especially among the young population of America and has significant implications for the nation’s public and economic health in the future. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the impact of cigarette smoking on the economy is huge. Seventy-five percent of American health care money spent is due to the effects of tobacco causing various chronic diseases. Such diseases include, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, congenital defects, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, birth defects, etc. “Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduced the health of smokers in general” (CDC, 2015).

Smoking should be banned in and out of the workplace, firstly because it is a recommended agreement by the management and all staff employed have signed an agreement, as this will impact on all workers and will be better for everyone's health and well being.

Nicotine is highly addictive, which is one of the reasons why it is so dangerous. The nicotine withdrawals a person might go through can be one of the biggest reasons they cannot/will not quit. Smokers may know the dangers it causes, but have too much difficulty quitting and it is no longer an option for them. They may decide to continue smoking, accepting the risks simply because of the psychological and physical traumas quitting takes them through. One of the employees fired by Weyco in Michigan due to its ban on smoking, Cara Stiffler, spoke out about the policy. She strongly disagrees with the ban and she believes that quitting smoking is a fight about personal liberty. She says “I want to quit, but I want it to be on my terms, not someone forcing me to make that

For a country in our financial position the general health of Scotland is very poor. In some areas the average life expectancy is as low as 54 years old for men. A major cause of this is smoking. With the young in particular smoking is much more popular than it used to be. In October 2008, it was estimated that one third of 16-24 year olds smoke. This figure is at a 10 year high. In between the ages of 16-19 it is found that girls are more likely to smoke than boys.

Cigarette smoking is something people all over the world have been doing for about 2000 years. Back in 2003, the first electronic cigarette was successfully created by a gentleman named Hon Lik. Lik was a 52 year old pharmacist at the time, whom of which was also a smoker. The inspiration behind making the electronic cigarette came after Lik’s father passed away from lung cancer due to him also being a heavy smoker. “A Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes.” cassia.org. Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association, 15 June 2017. The idea behind creating this device was to give smokers a way to still ingest nicotine, the most addictive chemical in tobacco cigarettes, without the countless negative health effects that