01/07/07

Press Release: Employers urged to take a closer look at how to address smoking in their workforces. Smoking matters to employers – in terms of direct medical costs, but also in terms of productivity loss.

CHICAGO, Illinois, November 15, 2006 – Smokers cost employers approximately $4,400 per year in terms of lost productivity, compared with $2,600 per year and $3,200 per year for nonsmokers and former smokers, respectively, reports a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environment Medicine (ACOEM).

Led by William B. Bunn III, MD, JD, MPH – medical director at International Truck & Engine and professor at Northwestern University – researchers quantified the on-the-job productivity for current smokers, former smokers and nonsmokers using survey results and incorporating both absenteeism and presenteeism, or reduced at-work productivity due to poor health status. The study used the Wellness Inventory, a survey tool that measures lost productivity related to 11 common health conditions, to analyze data from nearly 35,000 employees at 147 companies.

“What’s clear is that smoking matters to employers – in terms of direct medical costs, but also in terms of productivity loss,” said Dr. Bunn. ”The study shows how important it is for employers to provide support to help their employees quit smoking.”

The results show that current smokers missed more days of work and were less productive at work compared with former smokers and nonsmokers. According to the authors, in addition to lost workplace productivity due to absenteeism and presenteeism, smokers drive up employers’ costs through direct medical costs for smoking-related disease, lost productivity due to smoking breaks, increases in fires and fire insurance costs, increased workers compensation costs and early retirement due to smoking-related health problems.

Further analysis found correlations between smoking status and a variety of chronic health conditions, including general health, asthma and depression, among others. Current smokers were half as likely to report excellent health status compared with nonsmokers. Current smokers missed more days of work due to asthma compared with nonsmokers and former smokers and were more likely to report depression than either nonsmokers or former smokers.

“It is important that employers recognize the burden of smoking and take steps to support and encourage smoking cessation,” said study co-author Gregg M. Stave, MD, JD, MPH. “Employers have a variety of approaches open to them, but paying for employees’ smoking cessation treatments is the number one cost-effective health insurance benefit employers can provide, according to the CDC.”

The study adds to existing data that shows the significant economic burden smoking poses to society. Unlike previous studies, it includes a large sample size; uses self-reporting, and takes into account both absenteeism and reduced at-work productivity. Riad Dirani, PhD, director of US Outcomes Research at Pfizer Inc., was also a study author, and Pfizer Inc. provided funding for this study.

ACOEM, an international society of more than 5,000 occupational physicians and other health care professionals, provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments.

Add A Comment