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| Firms urged to help smokers quit | Firms urged to help smokers quit |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Workers should be given time off without losing pay to attend stop smoking clinics, NHS experts say. | Workers should be given time off without losing pay to attend stop smoking clinics, NHS experts say. |
| It is part of a range of measures being recommended to businesses by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). | It is part of a range of measures being recommended to businesses by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). |
| The watchdog said employers should be doing all they can to help staff give up smoking in the lead up to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. | The watchdog said employers should be doing all they can to help staff give up smoking in the lead up to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. |
| But the smokers' lobby group Forest said the idea was ridiculous. | But the smokers' lobby group Forest said the idea was ridiculous. |
| Smoking is estimated to cost industry £5bn in lost productivity, absenteeism and fire damage. | Smoking is estimated to cost industry £5bn in lost productivity, absenteeism and fire damage. |
| Employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20 a day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping David SloanNICE | Employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20 a day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping David SloanNICE |
| NICE said businesses should be trying to encourage staff to give up smoking prior to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. | NICE said businesses should be trying to encourage staff to give up smoking prior to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. |
| It prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces and comes after similar bans have been introduced elsewhere in the UK. | It prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces and comes after similar bans have been introduced elsewhere in the UK. |
| The guidance said employers should develop a specific policy on how to support employees who want to give up smoking. | The guidance said employers should develop a specific policy on how to support employees who want to give up smoking. |
| This should include detailed information on where staff can go for help. | This should include detailed information on where staff can go for help. |
| HAVE YOUR SAY A person's choice to smoke has nothing to do with employers James Ashwin, Oxford class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=6192&edition=1&ttl=20070425091153">Send us your comments It also calls on NHS "stop smoking" services to help business support staff by running clinics on firms' premises if there is demand. | |
| The most radical suggestion is that employers should allow staff to attend anti-smoking clinics in work time. | The most radical suggestion is that employers should allow staff to attend anti-smoking clinics in work time. |
| Staff | Staff |
| The Federation of Small Businesses said it would be up to individual employers to decide if this was appropriate. | The Federation of Small Businesses said it would be up to individual employers to decide if this was appropriate. |
| But Mary Boughton, the federation's health and safety chairman, said the measures could help to "improve the health of staff and productivity of business". | But Mary Boughton, the federation's health and safety chairman, said the measures could help to "improve the health of staff and productivity of business". |
| "Small businesses recognise the need to support their staff in the workplace." | "Small businesses recognise the need to support their staff in the workplace." |
| Similar bans have been introduced in other parts of the UK | Similar bans have been introduced in other parts of the UK |
| However, some business representatives have privately questioned whether it is right for employers to interfere with people's personal lives. | However, some business representatives have privately questioned whether it is right for employers to interfere with people's personal lives. |
| And Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that workers should attend stop smoking clinics during working hours. | And Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that workers should attend stop smoking clinics during working hours. |
| "It's wrong to expect employers to accept employees taking time off, and I imagine their non-smoking colleagues will be very unhappy about it." | "It's wrong to expect employers to accept employees taking time off, and I imagine their non-smoking colleagues will be very unhappy about it." |
| And he added that any such move would be likely to be open to abuse as "people will take advantage as they have an excuse to take time off work". | And he added that any such move would be likely to be open to abuse as "people will take advantage as they have an excuse to take time off work". |
| Dr David Sloan, a public health specialist at NICE, said: "We know that overall around three out of four smokers want to quit. | Dr David Sloan, a public health specialist at NICE, said: "We know that overall around three out of four smokers want to quit. |
| "It's important for employees and their representatives to work with employers on what support they need to give up smoking, and to encourage their employers to make support available. | "It's important for employees and their representatives to work with employers on what support they need to give up smoking, and to encourage their employers to make support available. |
| "Along with the health benefits of stopping smoking, employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20-a-day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping." | "Along with the health benefits of stopping smoking, employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20-a-day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping." |