New Data on Employer Costs for Employees Who Smoke

A new study, which was published in Tobacco Control, has found that smokers cost their employers $5,800 per smoker per year. The biggest portion of that comes not in health care costs, but in lost productivity during all those smoke breaks. That came in at $3,077, based on an estimate of five smoke breaks during the work day.

The researchers tried to be conservative in estimating the number of smoke breaks, figuring on five 15-minute breaks in an eight-hour workday, three of which took place during sanctioned break times. So the cost could well be higher. Other costs include more sick days due to health problems, at $517 per smoker, and $462 a year for lower productivity while working because of withdrawal symptoms, which kick in within 30 minutes of that last drag.

In recent years, some hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic, have decided to no longer hire smokers. But more than half of states make it illegal to discriminate against smokers in the hiring process. The new incentives in the wellness provisions of the ACA may hold promise as a tool for employers to encourage employees to quit smoking. The new provisions allow employers to offer a reward to employees of up to 50% of the employee's premium if he or she participates in an evidence-based program and actually stops smoking.