Facts

For the workplace

Benefits of a smokefree Workplace

For the Employer

  • A smokefree environment helps create a safe, healthful workplace.

    • Additional Resources

    Don't miss our smokefree workplace booklets available at the bottom of the page.

  • Direct healthcare costs to the company may be reduced.
  • Work attendance improves overall due to less smoking related illnesses.
  • Maintenance costs go down when smoke, matches, and cigarette butts are eliminated in facilities.
  • Office equipment, carpets, and furniture last longer.
  • It may be possible to negotiate lower health, life, and disability coverage as employee smoking is reduced.
  • The risk of fires is lower.
  • Managers are relieved when a process for dealing with smoking in the workplace is clearly defined.
  • Economics: Employers spend an average of $753 per year more in medical costs for a smoker than for a non-smoker. $68 billion in medical costs are spent in the US for tobacco related deaths.

For the Employee

  • A smokefree environment helps create a safe, healthful workplace.
  • A well planned and carefully implemented effort by the employers to address the effects of smoking on employees’ health and the health of their families shows the company cares.
  • Workers who are bothered by smoke will not be exposed to it at the worksite.
  • Smokers appreciate a clear company policy about smoking at work.
  • Managers are relieved when a process for dealing with smoking in the workplace is clearly defined.
  • Productivity: Smokers miss an average of two more workdays a year than non-smokers. Smoking accounts for a total lost productivity and disability time work $47 billion in the United States alone.

Additional Resources

  • Making Your Workplace smokefree (PDF)
    Published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office on Smoking, designed to help employers develop a smokefree environment at the workplace.
  • Smokefree Workplace Brochure (PDF)
    A tri-fold brochure designed for employers seeking a way to help inform employees about the benefits of a smokefree workplace.

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Peninsula Smokefree Partnership

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