Cost of Smoking Employees A Quantitative Study by Micah Berman
The cost of smoking – very few actually crunch the numbers so Micah Berman has done it for you. You will say – time to implement an quit smoking program.
A June 2013 study by our guest Professor Micah Berman of Ohio State U reveals the costs of employees who smoke is far greater than estimated by the CDC years ago. The average cost burden of a smoker to the employer is approaching $6,000/year greater than a never smoked employee. Professor Berman’s data is crucial to companies considering implementing a smoking cessation program. Professor Berman will be delving into the data with us, and discussing the legalities & intricacies of encouraging smoking cessation programs, or choosing to not hire employees that smoke.
Beginning this summer, Micah Berman is joining the faculty of Ohio State University as an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the College of Public Health and Moritz College of Law. Prior to joining Ohio State, Micah taught law school at New England Law | Boston, where he founded the Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy. The Center provides legal and policy support to state and local public health programs in New York State and Vermont. Previously, Micah established and directed the Tobacco Public Policy Center at Capital University Law School, which worked with Ohio’s tobacco control program. In addition to working with state and local governments, Micah has served as a senior advisor to the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and as a member of the NIH Director’s Council of Public Representatives. Micah received a J.D. with distinction from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in Public Policy from Brandeis University
Companies Pay Almost $6,000 Extra Per Year for Each Employee Who Smokes
Ouch
SO I know this could start a brawl – but it does beg the question – why would companies hire smokers? – yes it is an addiction – but it is still a voluntary behavior. Businesses are increasingly adopting smoking related policies, everyone of us knows the challenge of meeting budgets….so I think we can all understand why this is such an important study with profound impact.
Best In Corporate Health….quit smoking part of our corporate wellness programs. Let us look after employee wellness!