Smoking cessation workshops are wellness workshops that focus on workers who are smokers and would like to stop. This workshop is designed to assist the employee to make better decisions regarding their health to improve the quality of their life. Smoking cessation workshops are highly encouraged in the workplace to assist employees in avoiding cancer, lung diseases or respiration problems.
The health of the employees is a concern of a company because that would affect the absentees. Employees who smoke on a regular basis are more likely to face smoking-related illnesses. This may require them to go to hospitals more often and take sick days off due to excessive coughing. This takes away time and money from the company and slows down work operations.
By providing a smoking cessation workshop for employees, a company will not only save money for themselves but also for employees as well. Healthier workers will not have to spend large amounts of money on hospitals and medicines. These workshops can give an estimation to employees of how much money they could save by not smoking and avoiding smoking-related illnesses in the future.
Benefits of Smoking Cessation Workshops
The benefits of smoking cessation workshops are significant for employees and employers. The employees are able to prolong their lifespans and live healthy lives with their friends and family. Smoking cessation workshops also help an employee to understand, or at least remind them, of what is more important in life and what is not.
Employers, on the other hand, don’t have to worry about hiring new employees. If an employee gets excessively sick, he or she will have to leave work. The employers would then have to hire new employees and train them from start to finish. Therefore, increasing the cost of running the company. Any medical expenses the company is responsible for would also lessen.
Smoking also causes bad breath. This can be annoying to coworkers when they are communicating and engaging in a conversation. More importantly, customers may not be pleased to smell something horrible out of the worker’s mouth. Due to this, smoking cessation workshops are valuable to companies to improve their reputation.
Strategies to Quit Smoking
When looking for strategies to quit smoking, it is important to remember that some strategies will work for some employees and some strategies will work well for others. Depending on the personality and nature of the employee, a strategy can be used to help them in their personal journey for quitting smoking. For example, meditation can be used by an employee to relax and process their addiction and craving through breathing exercises. This method may work for one person but not for everyone.
An ideal approach is to focus on the success stories of other employees or general people. By listening to success stories, employees can visualise themselves being in their shoes and imagine themselves one day being able to quit. It is also wise to create a safe place in the workplace where employees can openly share their thoughts and feelings about smoking addiction, without being judged. Alternative solutions may include the use of patches, gum or pills that have the intention of fighting the cravings for tobacco. An employee may want to consult with a doctor to obtain professional advice.
Smoking cessation workshops also provide an opportunity for employees to exercise their resistance to their temptation. These exercises may include involving others in the process, finding directions and planning ahead of what actions to take when temptation occurs.
Company Image and Reputation
A company’s image and reputation could be at risk if the majority of the employees are constantly smoking during working hours. Customers at the workplace location may see a large number of workers smoking in the smoking area. Subconsciously the customers will take note of that and develop poor opinions about the company’s reputation. To avoid that, a company would have to emphasise the use of smoking cessation workshops. Also, a company would have to be mindful of the location of the smoking area, ensuring it is not located in a full-blown view.
On the other hand, by promoting smoking cessation workshops in the workplace, a company’s image and reputation can be improved. Word-of-mouth can be spread across the business world where other companies can hear the success stories of employees quitting smoking. This can motivate and inspire other companies and businesses to promote smoking cessation workshops in their own companies. This also goes to show that a company doesn’t only care about the revenues and profits, but also the people they work with.