Should non-smokers be given extra time off?

After all, a healthier and happier workforce is far more beneficial to a business.  But some firms are going a step further to try and encourage workers to quit — by giving non-smokers extra holiday. Earlier this year, KCJ Training and Employment Solutions in Swindon announced it would be introducing the scheme to compensate staff who do not smoke, rather than penalise those who do. “Let's cut it by a third and say you only take one 10-minute smoking break a day, that adds up to just over five days.” And the UK company isn’t the only firm to introduce such measures to give staff an incentive to quit. In 2017, the Japanese marketing firm Piala Inc granted non-smoking employees an extra six days of paid holidays a year, after they complained that they were working more than staff who took time off for cigarette breaks. “Ideally, we need to accommodate these differences to ensure people can take time out in the way that best suits them.” This is relevant when addressing cigarette breaks in the workplace, Richards adds. “As employers we have a duty of care to ensure we offer support where needed and we should be able to trust that staff are working the way that’s most productive for them – this includes managing break times effectively,” Richards adds.