Venue operators should be doing more to wean their staff off cigarettes, as the sector has become a stubborn bastion of the unhealthy habit.
According to data from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, more than one in five employees in the hospitality sector in England smoke, which is three times higher than other industries.
Health experts are calling on management and human resources teams within the industry to encourage workers to consider quitting to improve health, as routine and manual professionals are falling ever further behind national trends for smoking cessation.
The UK government has set a target of reducing the number of smokers to 5% of adults in England by 2030. To achieve this, hospitality workers down south are offered access to a world-first ‘swap to stop’ scheme, providing them with a free vape starter kit to help them quit.
A recent trial by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the NHS Stop Smoking Service found a vape starter kit helped 42% of participants quit within a month. A further 15% had quit after 12 weeks.
Managing director of Vape Club, Dan Marchant, said: “We know that people quitting smoking need all the help they can get: it’s far from easy. And we know just how effective smoking cessation tools like vapes can be. It’s vital that everyone has the same access to support and nobody in society is left behind.
“Falling rates of smoking are rightly celebrated, but we can’t ignore the kind of inequality this data shows. HR departments in routine and manual sectors have to step up and address the issue, offering people greater support to quit smoking.
“Any success they might have won’t just benefit individuals,” claimed Marchant. “After all, ex-smokers are usually healthier people, physically and mentally, than smokers. That means fewer days off and greater focus on their roles, so the business wins as well.”
HR advisor Bethany Smith added: “HR teams could help encourage smoking cessation by adopting a smoke-free policy in the workplace, this means smoking on-site, the parking area and doorways is prohibited. This simple step is very impactful and by making smoking that little bit more inconvenient, it can be a constant reminder to break the habit.
“We have also found that moral support has also been helpful and although this is likely more difficult to achieve in larger companies, we have found that casual conversations and offering support to smoking members of staff has had an impact.
“Supporting employees in adopting a healthy lifestyle shows that you care about their health and wellbeing, which itself improves morale and overall productivity. A healthy workforce performs far better and is also less likely to be absent due to illness and stress. Ultimately, this is an extremely easy and efficient way for the company to save money and time,” she claimed.
