Help for workers to give up smoking
| Published: 12th March 2008 11:08 |
WORKERS TARGETED BY HELP CAMPAIGN
With many European governments having now imposed workplace-smoking bans the ‘HELP - For a life without' tobacco campaign has launched an initiative focusing on helping employees to fight the need for nicotine.
The ‘HELP at Work' initiative is focused on highlighting the dangers of smoking to workers, informing them of the risks and providing information and advice to help them to quit or avoid starting.
Working in conjunction with HR departments the ‘HELP at Work' initiative visits large businesses with its road show and spends a day providing workers with free Carbon Monoxide tests, help and advice on how to quit and a variety of promotional items.
The Carbon Monoxide tests are very successful in highlighting the impact of smoking on the lungs and play an important role in encouraging people to quit.
The ‘Help at Work' initiative has already started and so far 100 companies across Europe have enthusiastically embraced the scheme as part of their own staff welfare programmes. In the UK companies such as law firm Denton Wilde Sapte have already participated in the ‘HELP at Work' initiative.
One HR Director of a visited company said, "The introduction of workplace smoking bans across most of Europe is a good step forward however it has raised other issues of concern to employers. The fact that smokers seem to get extra breaks and take more time for these can be a cause of discontent amongst some workers. In addition, business management should also be concerned about the public perception of their business if their employees stand outside to smoke, leaving cigarette butts everywhere. By encouraging and helping staff to give up smoking the individual workers benefit, but so does the business!"
The ‘HELP at Work' initiative is looking to cooperate with more European businesses. Anyone interested in getting their business involved and organise a CO-test day can contact the HELP team in the UK.
Contact Naomi van Moppes on 020 8789 2587 or email n.vanmoppes@kestrelcomms.co.uk
In a former life your Site Editor was a senior HR professional and I can say that from my experience workplace smoking created many internal issues as mentioned above. However I recognised that freedom of choice is important and any sheep dip approach to get employees to give up their smoking habit would fail. As with any addiction getting people to accept that they have a smokimg problem is the first step and these Eurpoean initiatives present a great opportunity to raise awareness of the smoking risks in a different way than in the past. If you are a smoker attend the road shows if they come to your workplace - it is your choice. If you are an employer and not yet involved do so as soon as possible - remember you have a duty of care for the health and safety of your employees.
Site Editor
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