Smoke-Free Support

Quitting smoking is one of the most effective health decisions a person can make – and one of the hardest to carry out alone. Workplace support measurably changes the success rate: people who receive support while quitting stop for good significantly more often than those without it – as a Cochrane review of workplace smoking cessation programs shows (Cahill & Lancaster, 2014).

What makes workplace support especially effective?

Smoking is a behavioral habit with a strong physiological dependence component. Anyone trying to quit is fighting withdrawal symptoms, ingrained smoke breaks built into the daily routine, and social triggers – often within the circle of colleagues – all at once. Workplace support can address all of these: information materials, group offerings with other people trying to quit, and, on request, partial reimbursement for nicotine replacement products.

How should the offering be structured?

No workforce is without ambivalence. Pressuring employees to quit loses them. Creating an offering that's communicated openly and accessible at a low threshold reaches exactly those who have already been considering it for a while. An internal information campaign plus a group offering plus the clear message 'We support you in this' – that's the right tone. The rest is up to the employees themselves. You will find more measures and how they fit in the field of action Addiction prevention.