Stubbed out at work? Not quite
Smokers Light Up In New Places
The no-smoking board at ones workplace does keep smokers at bay, but a new survey conducted across the globeincluding Indiahas indicated that a majority of the cigarette-addicts simply found an alternative place to smoke.
A whopping 81% of the Indian employees interviewed said that they had found a new place to smoke ever since the ban on smoking at workplaces was implemented on October 2, 2008. On the bright side, the survey showed that 37% of the Indian employees were trying to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoked in a day.
The Global Workplace Survey conducted across 14 countries involved interviews with over 3,000 employed smokers and employers. Indian findings were in sync with the data gathered in the UK, France, Turkey and Brazil.
With the inauguration of the 14th World Congress on Health Or Tobacco in the city on Sunday, the focus is on how to kick the habit that is known to cause a slew of diseases, including cancer. On Monday, 40 CEOs will gather to discuss ways to make the workplace ban more effective.
The Indian leg of the survey showed that employers felt employees spent over 30 minutes smoking cigarettes each day. Employees, however, felt they spent only 25 minutes on cigarettes and without much consequence to the business. However, 68% of the employers surveyed felt that smoking had a negative effect on their companys financial health. In contrast, only a third of the employees felt likewise. The employers also felt that smokingrelated illnesses were among the top causes for taking an off.
According to Chandrashekhar Potkar of Pfizer Ltd, which conducted the survey, The survey found nearunanimity among both employees and employers that workplace bans alone are not enough to encourage quitting (of smoking). Both groups think every company or organisation needs to do more (than just enforce bans).