Smoking Increases Absenteeism, Study Finds

December 18, 2012 - Healthcare - no comments

British workers who smoke are more likely to take days off work, compared to their non-smoking colleagues, a joint study from The University of Nottingham and York University has revealed. a new study from The University of Nottingham has revealed. Smoking can contribute to absenteeism and lead to extra costs for businesses that could reach £1.4 billion per year, researchers claim. Employees who smoke on average take 2.7 days off work due to illness more than non-smokers, suggesting that giving up smoking might reduce absenteeism, as ex-smokers are 19% less likely to take sick leave than current smokers, the research finds. However, a careful analysis of the possible ways to encourage giving up smoking is necessary, as to establish the most cost-effective and efficient methods, authors of the study note. Researchers reviewed the results from 29 studies, that were conducted between the 1960s and 2011 across four continents and included more than 71,000 respondents from both public and private sector organisations. Respondents’ smoking habits were recorded and their medical records were checked to track how often they took days off work due to illness over a two-year period. According to Dr Jo Leonardi-Bee, of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, who co-authored the study, encouraging smokers to quit might lead to dramatic cost savings for businesses. Apart from absenteeism, employers also face costs for fires caused by cigarettes, she adds. Smokers’ productivity is also reduced by the numbers of smoke breaks they take during working hours, Dr Leonardi-Bee points out.

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