Taking a quick break during the work day; people who smoke do this regularly. What effect does this have on the ins and outs of company life?
Research has pointed out that employees who smoke cost their employers thousands of euros on a yearly basis. If your staff contains multiple smokers, this can lead to a serious amount. High time to delve into this vice!
Non-smoking translated to leave: a case from Japan
This past September, a Japanese company decided to compensate non-smokers for the many smoke breaks taken by their less health-conscious colleagues – in the way of extra leave days. Many non-smoking employees were very grateful for this compensation, for they thought it was unfair that these smoke breaks were causing problems at the office. Some smokers also used it to their advantage: they quit smoking to be able to take more leave.
Short breaks: pay attention to them!
The creative solution of the Japanese company shows that short breaks should not simply be ignored, because in the end, they could amount to several leave days per employee. If you do not pay attention to them, many valuable hours will go to waste. The question is: how do you deal with it? A reward system might work very well in this instance. As is shown by the case from Japan, it is possible to reward non-smokers with extra leave, which encourages smokers to quit. This causes employees to use their time more efficiently. Such a system benefits the individual as well as the whole organisation.
Extra leave: do or don’t?
Whether or not you wish to reward a healthy lifestyle – and with that a more efficient work ethic – is a choice which needs to suit your company. But should you choose to employ such a system, remember that leave taking should be recorded carefully in a leave registration system. That is a way in which everyone at your company can keep organized!
Would you like to know more about our user-friendly, cloud-based leave registration system? Feel free to contact us to discuss the possibilities.
