Cash incentives help employees quit smoking

Smokers are more likely to quit if they are offered a cash incentive, according to a new study offering the strongest evidence tying monetary rewards to behavioral changes.

The study, led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania and published by the New England Journal of Medicine, is one of the largest of its kind.

Researchers tracked 878 General Electric Co. employees from across the U.S. for 18 months in 2005 and 2006. Each employee involved in the study smoked an average of one pack of cigarettes a day. They were divided into two groups and all received information regarding smoking-cessation programs.

Members of one group received cash incentives for completing each step of the program: $100 for finishing a smoking-cessation course, $250 if they quit smoking within six months, and $400 for continuing to not smoke for another six months.

Almost 15% of the group who were offered money to stop smoking had quit within the first year of the study, only 5% of the other group had done the same. At the end of the 18-month study, 9% of the paid group was still not smoking compared to only about 4% of the non-paid group.

From the Wall Street Journal article:

Loretta Massie-Eaton, a 53-year-old administrative assistant who works for GE in Atlanta, said encouragement from her 14-year-old son, Harrison, was the main reason she decided to participate. But money was also a motivation, she said. "It was the satisfaction of sticking to the commitment and getting reimbursed for doing it," said Ms. Massie-Eaton, who says she hasn't had a cigarette since taking part in the study more than two years ago.

Ric Barton, a GE lighting specialist from Cleveland, said he had been thinking about quitting before the study. A smoker for four decades, the 62-year-old said finding places to light up had become increasingly difficult and he was tired of rising cigarette prices. "It was icing for me to get a monetary reward for something I was already planning to do," Mr. Barton said.

Statistics show that helping employees quit smoking is worth the investment for companies. Smoking costs employers $3,400 per smoking employee per year in health-care bills, reduced productivity and absenteeism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers not involved in the study commented that the latest findings show that incentives work and give employers hard evidence that incentive programs can help companies save money on employee health-care costs.

“You’d prefer not to pay them, but it’s worth it,” said Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health professional organization.


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Help employees quit smoking, participate in the Great American Smokeout

Workplace smoking policies: When employees lie

Cash incentives help employees quit smoking

Help employees quit smoking, participate in the Great American Smokeout

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and Thursday, November 20, marks the 33rd Great American Smokeout, a day created to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day.

Almost 45% of the 45.3 million American smokers have attempted to quit smoking for at least one day in the past year, according to the American Cancer Society. For more than 30 years, the Great American Smokeout has proven to be a great opportunity to motivate smokers to make a long-term to quit for good.

Each year, only about 5% of smokers who quit succeed long-term and stress about the economy is having a clear and immediate effect on smokers, according to a recent survey sponsored by the American Legacy Foundation.

The survey found that smokers’ increased stress is causing smokers to delay a quit attempt, increase the number of cigarettes they are smoking, or switch to a cheaper brand instead of quitting. Additionally, former smokers reported that they are starting to smoke again because of financial stress.

Among the survey findings:

• 77% of smokers report increased stress levels due to the current state of the economy, two-thirds of those smokers say this stress has had an effect on their smoking.
• One in four smokers stressed about the economy say this stress has caused them to smoke more cigarettes per day, higher among women (31%) than men (17%).
• A greater percentage of middle-income ($35-74.9k) stressed smokers have delayed their quit attempts because of stress over the economy (20%) than those with household incomes of under $35k (14%).

“The best time to quit smoking is now,” according to the American Cancer Society. Use the upcoming Great American Smokeout to start a smoking cessation program, revisit your workplace smoking policy and encourage employees who smoke to set November 20 as their quit date.

The American Cancer Society has put together a Smokeout page as part of their Great American Health Challenge full of materials to help publicize smoking cessation in your workplace, press releases, local resources and guides to help employees quit smoking.

Help employees quit smoking, participate in the Great American Smokeout

Workplace smoking policies: When employees lie

Whirlpool suspended 39 workers for lying on insurance paperwork about their smoking habits, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

The suspended employees all claimed they do not use tobacco products, but were caught in the act on the Evansville, Indiana, factory property smoking or chewing tobacco. Some accused workers may even lose their jobs because of the lies.

Whirlpool uses a financial incentive program to encourage workers and their families to not smoke. Workers at the Evansville factory who smoke are charged an extra $500 in annual health insurance premiums.

Whirlpool’s actions show one difficulty companies encounter when enforcing wellness programs based on the honor system.

"Employers have been using the honor system ever since wellness programs started, and you have to be a little naive to think that people are going to admit they smoke when they know they're going to be penalized."

Enforcing smoke-free workplace policies can be tough, especially if employees are untruthful about their smoking habits.

With rising healthcare costs and the dangers of second-hand smoke, some companies are completely snuffing out smoking on company property.

“No Smokers in the Workplace: The New Controversy,” from G.Neil’s News & Info section, examines how some workers are fighting back against smoke-free policies with legal action. Some workers’ rights groups claim the policies violate one’s right of free expression.

State no-smoking laws can stir up confusion when determining if your company should enact a smoke-free policy. For help on how to sort through related legal issues, read the full article at G.Neil.com.

Workplace smoking policies: When employees lie