Smoking ban July 1st 2007

I read yesterday at work that the NHS thinks people should be able to request time off work to stop smoking to get ready for the ban.

Sorry but what a load of crap. I see no reason why people who choose to smoke should be given time off just to stop.

Most people are not given the choice to have time off when they stop smoking so why should that change now?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6583865.stm

Are you all ready for the ban to come into place?

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

I read yesterday at work that the NHS thinks people should be able to request time off work to stop smoking to get ready for the ban.

Sorry but what a load of crap. I see no reason why people who choose to smoke should be given time off just to stop.

Most people are not given the choice to have time off when they stop smoking so why should that change now?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6583865.stm

Are you all ready for the ban to come into place?

Slightly misleading...

Firstly it's not the NHS but NICE that is suggesting this and secondly it's not simply time off at home etc. it's time off to attend 'stop smoking clinics'. They go on to say that in the long run this will benefit business.

The full story below...

"Businesses are being urged to give workers extra time off to attend stop smoking clinics ahead of England's ban on July 1.

The guidance body on public health recommends workers - many of whom already enjoy cigarette breaks throughout the day - should not lose pay if they need help in giving up.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) believes that businesses will benefit by a subsequent boost in productivity.

"For example, a business with 20 employees, of which typically five would smoke, could spend just £66 on providing brief advice (including employees' time) and see an overall saving of around £350 based on improved productivity," a spokeswoman for Nice said."

I think it might make sense....

Why cant people take these 'sessions' in their own time? Or even better why can't they just get on with it like everyone who has ever had to give up smoking before?

Also are you still going to be able to smoke in the street? Or at the moment at our work we have a spot outside where people can go; will that still be ok within this new law?

I think I'll get fat so I can get some paid time off to lose weight (in the bahamas of course) !!

Absolutely ridiculous idea.

It is confusing (and even to hoteliers..!)

I don't think it is necessary to give people time off for counselling however...I think this is a nanny state gone too far. I understand the productivity issues completely but it is about time smokers took responsibility for themselves.

Um, I have given up in my own time regardless of the ban up here......

I see no reason for others to be given time off for it. In fact, the time spent GOING to these sessions is much better taken out of a persons own time as they would normally spend this time at home smoking. Whereas the time taken off would normally be spent at their desk NOT smoking.

I have found a that spending time doing something other than my normal out of hours stuff a HUGE help in giving up. Rather than sit in the house as I used to, smoking away, I have been out visiting mates or going to the gym. This has stopped me from smoking habitually and/or eating instead.

And anyway - people need to WANT to give up. Forcing the issue will not work.

helencbradshaw wrote:

It is confusing (and even to hoteliers..!)

I don't think it is necessary to give people time off for counselling however...I think this is a nanny state gone too far. I understand the productivity issues completely but it is about time smokers took responsibility for themselves.

I think you're missing the point. It's got nothing to do with the 'nanny state', this is not government bringing in a new law it is simply a suggestion from a health body. In the end it is for businesses to decide if they feel there is a financial advantage (as stated by NICE) to letting people have time off to attend these clinics they will do so if not they won't, simple as that.

It's up to the employers will decide.

I agree with Drew 100% on this one.

I had to give up myself last year and had no help at all, not even a patch or chewing gum, because as you said, you have to want to give up for it to work.

Ok so I had the added thing that if I smoked I would be harming my baby, which in itself was enough to make me give up.

And as said, it is a personal choice to smoke, the same as it is to drink or eat junk food and it has nothing to do with the company you work for, and because it is a personal life style choice I see no reason why any help classes should take place in work time.

It is hard though giving up, and the hardest thing for me was breaking the habbit of associating smoking with going to the pub or smoking when I was driving.

I think most employers will screw up the suggestion form and throw it in the bin. Who in their right mind would pay someone to help them stop smoking !!

Oh I think that companies could help money wise, just that people should do it in their own time.

Someone who doesn't smoke is generally in better health and is likely to have less time off work. It does make financial sense.

However it needs to be done at a time when they are likely to be smoking - ie at home time.

I'm sure the company I work for would do this - for goodness sake, we even get free fruit to make us all happy and healthy (and signs on all the stairs telling us to hold the handrails and use the lifts if we are carrying coffee).

I think it's a great idea.

It takes away the 'I haven't got time to go to a support group' excuse. And in the long run, if it works there'll be a lot less time wasted by people taking ciggie breaks. You can't grumble about not being allowed to smoke if your employer does their best to help you.

And I used to work for a company that did in-house weightwatchers classes as well (but only in the USA).

The problem with stopping smoking is that unless you are ready and psyched up to do it nobody can make you stop. If you don't want to stop it won't happen and no amount of time off will change that. That's why so many attempts fail, people do it for others and not because THEY want to.

Smoking ban from 1st July. Whoohoooooo......bring it on!!! No more smelly pubs.....

Mauri wrote:

helencbradshaw wrote:

It is confusing (and even to hoteliers..!)

I don't think it is necessary to give people time off for counselling however...I think this is a nanny state gone too far. I understand the productivity issues completely but it is about time smokers took responsibility for themselves.

I think you're missing the point. It's got nothing to do with the 'nanny state', this is not government bringing in a new law it is simply a suggestion from a health body. In the end it is for businesses to decide if they feel there is a financial advantage (as stated by NICE) to letting people have time off to attend these clinics they will do so if not they won't, simple as that.

I am not missing the point. I understand the point totally

I just dont agree with it!!!

smoking ban comes into effect over here (N. Ireland) as of tomorrow. should be good, no more clothes ruined from peoples cigarette ash. :-)

I can't wait either. People started of their own free will and they should quit as well rather than companies using their money and time to support them, I would be annoyed as a shareholder if a company I invested in used funds for that purpose.

Smoking is a personal habit that a person decides to partake in like you do drinking/ gambling/ drug taking etc etc. The companies who employ these people didnt ask or encourage them to do so.

Therefore companies shouldnt feel obliged to 'help' employees to give up. Just like they shouldnt feel obliged to help people rid themselves of any other habit they want to get out of.

Non smokers would feel rightly aggrieved if a colleague was being paid for time off work when he/she was working and possibly covering for them.

However ifa company gave an employee time off unpaid to help give up smoking then fine. And I dont feel a company should feel obliged to even do this.

atticusuk wrote:

I can't wait either. People started of their own free will and they should quit as well rather than companies using their money and time to support them, I would be annoyed as a shareholder if a company I invested in used funds for that purpose.

I wouldn't, I am already feeling a LOT healthier now I don't smoke and thats only after two months.

Staff that don't smoke are less likely to get ill - simply ecomomics when it comes to looking at sick pay bills the company has to pay, which comes out of the profits

WormThatTurned wrote:

However ifa company gave an employee time off unpaid to help give up smoking then fine. And I dont feel a company should feel obliged to even do this.

No, they shouldn't feel obliged, but I still think it makes good business sense to offer help. But yes, in the persons own time.

It also helps to make staff feel valued by the company, that they actually take an interest in their employees. Again, from a business perspective, it makes sense as a happier workforce is generally more productive and less likely to leave - reducing the costs to the company in replacing staff.

My work do offer stop smoking initiatives, they have a blood doner van around every month, they provide us with fresh fruit every day (which has increased my intake of that from nil) and encourage excercise to name but a few inititives. I can honestly say that I am a much healtheir person since starting with this company in June last year and I LIKE my employer for it. It will make me think twice about moving jobs.

It really isn't as simple as saying it costs money therefore it should be up to the smoker.....

drewboy wrote:

No, they shouldn't feel obliged, but I still think it makes good business sense to offer help. But yes, in the persons own time.

It also helps to make staff feel valued by the company, that they actually take an interest in their employees. Again, from a business perspective, it makes sense as a happier workforce is generally more productive and less likely to leave - reducing the costs to the company in replacing staff.

My work do offer stop smoking initiatives, they have a blood doner van around every month, they provide us with fresh fruit every day (which has increased my intake of that from nil) and encourage excercise to name but a few inititives. I can honestly say that I am a much healtheir person since starting with this company in June last year and I LIKE my employer for it. It will make me think twice about moving jobs.

It really isn't as simple as saying it costs money therefore it should be up to the smoker.....

Exactly and the health bodies like NICE should be encouraging employers to take up these initiatives, that is part of their remit, it's not nanny state just practical advice.

Smokers of course have to want to give up but sometimes a little help is needed. The smoking ban in Ireland for instance actually reduced the number of smokers in the country since quite a few only smoked when they went out for a drink and without the law being passed they wouldn't have stopped. I don't think this should have been the intention of the law but it is a welcomed side effect.

I don't think it is about "helping" people to give up but rather it is good business sense for people to give up. The amount of sly or pleaded for cigarette breaks that go on in my workplace (a particular problem in the health sector) adds up to hours of paid for breaks per day that could be spent working. This makes the non-smokers resentful as they pick up the slack.

The smoking ban in itself will not be enough to stop people smoking in worktime as they will still be sneaking into toilets, outside etc for a sly fag. Therefore, encouraging them to give up, even by giving them free counselling etc although costly, in the long run will work out better for everyone.

Especially non-smokers like me!

Yep..there is tension in our office about the amount of times people have smoke breaks.

Lord knows what will happen to the rumour mill though...if you don't smoke you don't get to hear the latest!

You know Im actually looking forward to it now and at first I thought it was wrong.

The first thing I noticed was the pubs seem louder and you can smell your fellow druinkers. I aslo noriced the beer prices had suspiciously gone up ,prsumbly to cover the loss the Celtic pubs suffered. You would pressume the Treasury would want to find that lost tax somehwere..

Ive noticed a lot of pubs building or converting outside areas for smokers.

I think it's just so funny when it is *Bad word* it down and you see loads of people still going outside for their fags.