Do Smoking Bans Adversely Affect employers?
On the contrary. Often overlooked is the effect that smoking bans have on the smoking habits of employees. In a confidential memo in 1993, a Philip Morris executive wrote: “The second major threat we face is from smoking bans. If smokers can’t smoke on the way to work, at work, in stores, banks, restaurants, malls and other public places, they are going to smoke less. Overall cigarette purchases will be reduced and volume decline will accelerate”. He was correct. Several studies have examined worker behavior. Ameta-analysis of these studies demonstrates that 4% of employees will quit outright and most others will reduce their total cigarette usage. The result is a 29% decrease in cigarettes smoked.Because the dangerous effects of smoking are clearly dose related, this can only in reality mean significant health benefits for employees and substantial economic benefits to their employers.
