HR Advice

England goes smoke-free

The Smoke-free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations 2006 is now in force. This means all employers must guarantee smoke-free workplaces for their employees.

Your company may previously have had a policy on smoking at work, as a result of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The new regulations have seen businesses consulting their employees (and trade union and employee representatives where necessary) to implement company smoke-free policies.

According to a recent survey, a third of companies have considered banning their employees from taking cigarette breaks, while 79% of smokers who work are trying to quit. Here are some more smoke-free facts:

• Smoking was banned in Ireland in March 2004. A recent study showed an 83% drop in air pollution and an 80% drop in cancer-inducing agents in pubs.
• 45% of employers have had to change their smoking policy.
• 73% of employers would choose a non-smoking candidate over a smoker.
• Sacking an employee for smoking outside of working hours is classed as unfair dismissal - but not in twenty states in the US, where smoking in your spare time is a sackable offence.

Smoke-free policy checklist

We have all been preparing for the smoking ban for several months. Has your company done the following?

• Decided on whether smoking is banned outside the office or not
• Consulted the workforce regarding the new regulations and their application
• Informed employees of the disciplinary action for breach of policy
• Displayed the regulatory no-smoking signs at the entrance of the premises

Support

Ceridian's LifeWorks service can help your employees prepare to give up smoking, provide advice on making the first move toward quitting, and also provide long-term support.

According to the CIPD, only a minority of people smoke and about three-quarters of these want to give up.  Your company may have a greater or lesser proportion of these smokers – this is why consultation and communication of what is being proposed and why, will be particularly important to your employees.

Find out more about practical applications of the law.

Contact us today to find out how Ceridian's employee assistance programme, LifeWorks, can bring you significant ROI by helping your employees quit smoking.

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